There's a great article over at Barbara Farfan's Retail Blog about the different responses retailers are putting forth during this shaky economic environment. While many businesses are posting losses, several are still making money. And they think they know the secret to staying profitable: keep making and marketing fantastic products.

For example, accessories manufacturer Coach Inc. made more than they expected to last quarter. A bit of quick research revealed that the reason may be because consumers believed in the quality and uniqueness of the products they were offering. So for this holiday season, Coach Inc. is rolling out virtually every product in their development pipeline in the hopes that their consumers will continue to be "dazzled" and presented with products they're willing to buy.

Several of our own clients have expressed trepidation about the current economy. And with good reason! But I'll say here what our president and CEO have been telling them: Even in this economic downturn, people will continue to respond to advertising, and, per usual, the advertiser with the most unique message will stand out. The thing is that, in the coming months, most advertisers will get very conservative with their advertising, not to mention their product development and deployment. But in doing so, their brand will fade into the consumer's background, almost encouraging the reduced spending they fear. The advertisers who continue to find ways to stay in front of their consumers during this economy will not only reap modest benefits now, but huge benefits later on when the economy begins to recover and their brand is already top-of-mind.

Read Barbara's article here.