Best Global Brands; Gutsy marketers spend into the teeth of a recession. Several of BusinessWeek's 100 Best Global Brands are doing exactly that
Every time a recession threatens, executives glare at the balance sheet and wonder aloud about one particular expense: brand building. Trimming the marketing budget can seem eminently sensible. After all, doing so won't hurt product quality or, most likely, next week's sales. As the business climate has worsened in recent months, a number of blue-chip companies have announced plans to cut marketing costs, including Coca-Cola and Visa. U.S. automakers have already done so. As have several hard-hit banks.
Then there are the other guys--companies that refuse to let tough times distract them from their long-term brand-building efforts.
