Why Smart Advertising Starts With Smart Insights—Especially in a Volatile Market

In times of economic uncertainty, many brands face tough questions: Should we cut spend? Shift messaging? Wait it out?

But savvy marketers and media strategists know that volatility doesn’t have to mean retreat. In fact, it’s a window for bold moves—if you’ve got the right insights in hand.

What Happens to Advertising During a Recession?

Advertising spend doesn’t disappear during a recession—but it does tend to get more scrutiny. Why?Because as resources become constrained, brands and agencies must prove that every dollar spent moves the needle in a meaningful way. This means:

• Media plans are reevaluated.

• Creative gets tested more rigorously.

• Campaigns must connect faster and deeper with their audience.

And while spending may be cut in some areas, it's important to note that the brands that emerge stronger are the ones who were able to uncover and optimize based on what their audience truly needs.

What Sells the Most in a Recession?

Across history, trusted and emotionally resonant brands thrive during challenging economic periods. Products or services that can?:

• Offer comfort, convenience, or entertainment

• Reinforce emotional connection

• Demonstrate clear value

...are the ones consumers come back to. Which is why your brand strategy needs to do more than just reach people—it needs to resonate.

So Should You Spend More or Less on Advertising?

The real question isn’t about spend—it's about spending smarter.

If you're running on assumptions instead of audience data, you're at risk. But if you’re using actionable insights to test creative, validate messaging, and align to the right platforms, your spend becomes a multiplier.

And that’s where Latitude and our insights platform Lumiere come in.

Why Agencies and Brands Use Latitude + Lumiere

Whether you’re managing global media budgets or advising a brand through a volatile Q2, you need insights that deliver clarity, not complexity.

With Latitude + Lumiere, you can:

• Test creative early with real behavioral and emotional feedback.

• Gauge brand lift in digital and TV environments.

• Understand sentiment through in-video emoji reactions, comments, and AI-powered conversations.

• Identify creative best practices by segment and audience type.

• Adapt quickly, thanks to our fast-turn dashboards, exports, and plain-language Ask Lumiere feature.

How to Sell Advertising During a Recession

For agencies and brand teams alike, insights are your sales edge. Use data from tools like Lumiere to:

• Validate storytelling and messaging strategies before they launch.

• Show advertisers what works—and why.

• Prove how emotional and behavioral resonance drives actual business impact.

When budgets are tight and stakes are high, your ability to show what’s working isn’t a luxury—it’s your competitive advantage.

Final Takeaway: Insight is Your Insurance Policy

Advertising doesn’t stop in a recession. But it does create an opportunity to deepen your understanding of your audiences. The companies who use it to listen better, test smarter, and move faster are the ones who will continue to win over their customers.

Latitude helps brands and their agency partners do all three. Ready to make insight your unfair advantage?

👉 Let’s talk or explore our case studies to see how top brands are navigating today’s market with Lumiere.