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“This is one of the most challenging economic environments we’ve seen in many decades,” says American Express CEO Ken Chenault. When you add up all the components of the current economy — joblessness, foreclosures, consumer debt, dried up credit — you’ve got one heck of a mess. Digging out is likely to take years, expert analysts believe. So how does one adjust their online and offline marketing campaigns to speak to this new audience of broke and unhappy consumers? How should management teams lead their companies out of this downturn? According to top performing businesses, many of the anti-recession tactics are really quite simple.

The most important of all anti-recession tactics is to understand the new problems your customers face and offer them innovative solutions. The most successful businesses are ones that can save customers money, make their lives less stressful and offer more value. For instance, one company developed a fast-curing resin to maximize productivity for injection-molding machines; yet, when the recession happened and greater output was no longer needed, the company switched gears and developed a less expensive, slower-curing resin, which was ultimately profitable. “We can’t add meat to a burger anymore,” admits CKE marketing chief Brad Haley, who oversees the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr franchises. When times are tough, executives need to be more creative. He adds, “Carl’s Jr. is promoting a guacamole bacon cheeseburger. Avocados are a less expensive topping.”

Some managers remain purse-lipped and hunker down in their bunkers as their primal anti-recession tactics. Yet tips from the most successful CEOs focus on creating a balance between realism and optimism. No matter what the situation may be, a good management team must always be communicating with the rest of the employees. No climate is worse for productivity than employees who worry about being fired, suppliers who fear they won’t get paid and customers who have no confidence. Julia Stewart, CEO of DineEquity (parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP) says, “It’s important to assure your employees by making clear your vision, making sure they know that you care, and making sure that you’re direct and honest. They just want the truth.” During a recession, it’s important to be realistic but also to emphasize what’s working to instill confidence in the workforce.

In the past, anti-recession tactics used to be to take the business overseas. Yet, as time goes by, the wage gap in China, Malaysia, Thailand and India is rapidly shrinking as these emerging superpowers begin to gain momentum. Manufacturing costs, taxes, tariffs, speed, marketing training and transition expenses can all rack up the expenses. That doesn’t mean that executives shouldn’t recruit for the best talent, however. Now, with so many diligent worker bees out on the market, it’s a good time to weed out the non-performers and replace them with top talent. Mel Stark of the Hay Group consulting firm says that the best companies go the extra mile to reward their “most focused and driven employees” — recession or not.

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