• Brandweek, Tuesday, January 27, 2009 9:16 AM

When brands cut down and or even eliminate their TV ad spending, it's not just a response to market conditions. Some marketers say the economy is also prompting them to do something that is long overdue -- trying out new forms of marketing. Susan Lintonsmith, CMO for Red Robin, says her company is doing without TV in 2009 because brand awareness is where it needs to be. "We'll be riding the momentum of two years of advertising," she says.

Best Buy cut its TV spending by about 40% last year, and CMO Barry Judge spent it on increasing staff in the company's stores and upgrades to the company's Web site. He says TV advertising is important, but can be undermined by a bad consumer experience.

Despite evidence that marketers are exploring other options, Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research for Horizon Media, says it won't have an impact on upfront spending. He speculates the down economy might have the opposite effect of prompting marketers to cautiously dial back on marketing experiments.

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