Having spent 20 years in marketing & communications – including several market crises – I know that when things get rough, the first instinct is to cut costs and focus on what keeps the company alive in the short term. Marketing is almost always among the first things cut or put on hold, because it can seem easy to postpone without immediate consequences. But this decision starts from a false premise: that the market “stops” and that visibility no longer matters. In reality, the market doesn’t disappear – it just gets harder: clients buy less often, decide more slowly, and choose more carefully, while competition becomes more aggressive because the volume of opportunities shrinks.
In this context, cutting marketing means giving up the position you’ve already invested in building. Decisions don’t start from zero – they start from what’s already familiar and perceived as safe. Brands that disappear from communication drop off the client’s radar exactly when that client needs more clarity and trust. It’s like driving in fog: traffic doesn’t stop, but visibility drops, and if you choose to drive without headlights, you become invisible to everyone else on the road.
That said, marketing during a crisis shouldn’t look the same as marketing during growth – it needs to be recalibrated: less volume and commercial pressure, more relevance, consistency, and usefulness.
What you shouldn’t cut:
Core communication and visibility. Even if you reduce budgets, you can’t afford to disappear entirely. A minimum level of consistent presence – an updated website, social media communication, direct contact with existing clients, or showing up at industry events – is essential to staying visible and relevant. A complete communication blackout reads as inactivity or, worse, instability.
Strengthening relationships with existing clients. In times of uncertainty, retention matters more than acquisition. The clients you already have are more likely to stay — but they need reassurance, clear information, and the sense that they can count on you. Right now, marketing means less promotion and more direct, transparent, useful communication.
Where you can adjust:
Large awareness budgets or broad campaigns can be optimised, but not eliminated entirely. This is the moment to look more carefully at efficiency – which channels perform, which messages generate response rather than just visibility. Fewer initiatives, but better chosen and better executed.
At the same time, messages need to reflect the context. What worked during growth – offers, urgency, volume – loses effectiveness in a cautious market. What works instead: clarity, explanation, solid arguments, and the ability to reduce the client’s perceived risk.
Where it’s worth investing more:
Counterintuitively, a crisis can be a good moment to gain ground. As competitors pull back, the noise in the market decreases – which means the same investment can generate more attention and more memorability. Visibility becomes more accessible, and consistency becomes a competitive advantage.
Relevant content – explanations, case studies – also gains more value than it would during growth periods, because it helps clients understand their situation better and make more confident decisions.
Another often underestimated but highly effective lever in these contexts is the personal brands of the people inside the company. In a market where trust matters more than exposure, people believe in people more than in logos. We explored this topic in a dedicated article, also on the DRIVION blog.
The fog doesn’t stop traffic – it makes visibility essential, regardless of the size of your vehicle. Driving without headlights doesn’t save you anything. It puts everything at risk. I’ve seen this enough times to know that in business, the difference isn’t made by how much you cut, but by what you choose to keep. And headlights are not optional – especially in difficult conditions.
If you want to understand what recalibrated marketing looks like in the transport & logistics reality – what to keep, what to adjust, and where it’s worth investing – at DRIVION, this is exactly the work we do, alongside companies that choose to stay visible and relevant regardless of context.
A version of this article appeared in Ziua Cargo magazine, May-June 2026 edition.