Research on Advertising in a Recession: A Critical Review and Synthesis

Based on an extensive review of research on advertising in a recession, the authors identify over 40 related studies.

Research on Advertising in a Recession: A Critical Review and Synthesis

Gerard J. Tellis and Kethan Tellis Marshall School of Business University of Southern California

INTRODUCTION

Periodically, recessions afflict the U.S. and world economies. At such time, firms face declining revenues and shortages of cash. Their natural tendency is to cut back on seemingly discretionary expenditures such as R&D, marketing, and advertising. What has perplexed managers and analysts is whether such cutbacks are wise or self-defeating, either in the short or long term. Over the decades, a number of studies have examined this issue in the context...

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