(image via clipart)

Everyone's talking recession these days. MarketingSherpa today takes a closer look at how PR, and to a lesser note, the media will fare in an economic downturn.

Content Director Anne Holland states that because the ad budget is almost always the first to go, "PR always gains in popularity during a recession, even an incipient one like what we're undergoing these days."

Anne goes on to write:

If you are trying to get more glowing press coverage in this down market, one factor can help you. Trade journalists like exclusive case studies in any economy, but when the going gets tough, they utterly adore them. In 2008, it's going to be easier to get case study coverage than ever before.

As Micky Long at Aberdeen Group once told me, "In a recession, reporting coverage moves. It's not about vision or the next greatest thing; it's about show-me-the-money. Show me the ROI. Reporters say, "Let me talk to a customer.'"

It's about the access, people! Give it to the right reporter at the right time and you will succeed.