• 01/01/09 - Downturn or opportunity

We endorse the Design Council’s advice for companies to “design themselves out of the downturn”. News issued this week cited a number of examples of companies who have succeeded despite having economic odds stacked against them and in times when other companies might have reduced expenditure on design and marketing. We have many examples on our own client list where business owners have used times of recession to reinvent products and services, and also to change the means they use to promote themselves.This need not mean huge unplanned expenditure. Something as simple as a change of packaging can

revitalise a food or drink brand. A prime example quoted by The Design Council is Castle Rock Brewery whose growth rates doubled after a rebrand despite a general decline in beer drinking in pubs, the credit crunch and competition from cheap alcohol in supermarkets. For further examples visit www.designcouncil.org.uk
83 per cent of companies believing design to be integral have reported market share increases, compared to the UK average of 46 per cent. Recession can, and should be a time for innovation and re-invention rather than battening down the hatches only to find upon emerging that your business has been overtaken by the competition.” Call us to discuss how Alpha can help your business 01743 236631.