The First Post -- Testing, Testing

As we now get the official news that we've been in a recession all year, who amongst us is at all surprised? In the world of shopper marketing, many of us have held out the theory that we were in the midst of a recession.

I've seen a few trends, all of which are related to budget cutbacks, corporate downsizing and the related fear in remaining employees -- they generally don't want to risk getting fired to take a risk with new media or high-exposure projects. Who could blame them.

How are you feeling the effect of the spiraling economy? Here's what I'm seeing:

• Longer sales cycles
• Project delays
• Stakeholders more siloed than ever
• Projects more difficult to manage than ever due to the previous point
• Greater need than ever for retailers and suppliers alike to build integrated marketing solutions that include tight ROI rules and metrics
• Higher expectation in end consumers for highly personalized experiences via all touchpoints

With two weeks of productivity left before the holidays hit this month, we're all bracing for a tough month. What are you doing to get through December and into the new year?