The economic crisis and financial crisis represents a new challenge for marketers, who must adjust to lower advertising expenditures by companies. There are some things that traders should not overlook:

• consider the crisis as an opportunity: the tough times means a chance to differentiate itself from its competitors. We must not lose this opportunity, rather, should outperform its competitors by using innovative marketing strategies and appropriate technology.

• Get more results with less investment: as a rule, the marketing department will have less budget available to him at the same time will have to meet budgets even more ambitious than in “normal”. To do more with less, marketing professionals need to increase their effectiveness. A priory, the requirements are clear and have all the best technology.

• Focus on existing customers, gain new customers is expensive, so it should not be in a recession. The best strategy is to try to retain existing customers, ensuring that offers are considered to add value and deliver services, increase loyalty.

• Rethink and be innovative, always repeating what was done to avoid an attitude. If you used to send mass mailings to large numbers of customers, it is best to leave behind old habits. Customers do not like marketing offers tailored to your needs, but on the contrary, they feel attacked (spam) to them.

• Listen and talk to the client: it is always advisable to take the dialogue is established with customers. Find out what really is, explicitly and implicitly, and use this information to find him any agreement can be crucial to keep it.

• Combining online and offline channels: do not waste money on isolated structures, but must focus on the integration of sales channels (online, catalog and store) the marketing channels (direct marketing, e -mail, phone, web, kiosk and phone, including platforms “social media” such as YouTube or MySpace). Everyone in the company should be able to take advantage of consumption data were obtained through these channels.

• Prepare for the time after the crisis can help to invest in modular technology that can be extended as soon as the budgets increase again. The distributor must be prepared to integrate new emerging channels of marketing and sales in a flexible structure.

• Tracks and evaluates the digital revolution today I could not ignore the work of the wide range of social networks. You have to target customers through your favorite channel and more likely to be willing to listen and respond.

Thus, by combining innovation, technology and, above all, creativity, marketing professionals can meet the new challenges posed by the crisis.

European central banks have dramatically halted the sale of its gold reserves, ending a period of annual sales of about 400 tons more than a decade.
Central banks in the euro area including Sweden and Switzerland are bound by the agreement of the Central Bank Gold (CBGA), agreement signed for the first time by European central banks in 1999 in Washington, and limits annually 400 tons of gold sales.

In the 1st year of 3 CBGA which expired on September 26, 2010, the signatories to European central banks sold 6.2 tons only. Well below the 497 tones sold in 2004/05.
Both central banks and private investors are seeking safety in gold. With the sharp slowdown in sales of gold by European central banks away an important source of gold supply on the market.

“Clearly we are a different world. The mood is completely different, “said Jonathan Spall, director of precious metals sales at Barclays Capital. According to a survey by the Financial Times, European central banks are unlikely to sell gold in this New Year’s 3 rd CBGA.

Although many central banks have refused to detail its marketing plans, extensive interviews with bankers and business consultants prestigious British newspaper, suggest that it is unlikely that a return to the trend of the last decade, when signatories to the CBGA average sale of 388 tons per year. The central banks of Sweden, Slovakia, Ireland and Slovenia said they had no intention of selling, while Switzerland has reiterated its earlier statement in the same direction.

Consumer confidence is one of the most important economic variables, which indicates the evolution of economic activity in the country, but in the case of Mexico has yet to respond to this role because of the scope limited to the national level.

In the United States and the euro area, macroeconomic indicator is like a thermometer to measure the performance of the economy, most financial analysts to follow this economic variable for investment decisions in the investigation because ” it is between the person brings important points such as the economic situation of household members and the ability to make purchases.

The Bank of Mexico (Banxico) started this indicator in April 2003 with the purpose of understanding consumer sentiment, which is ultimately, what determines the demand for goods and services in the country.

The consumer confidence index is composed of five elements that are in the expected economic situation of household members in 12 months, the economic situation in 12 months, with respect to the current situation and the possibility of members of the family to make purchases such as furniture, televisions, washing machines and other appliances.

Analysts noted that the financial resources it will take years for this indicator is of importance and is used to predict economic trends, as they do in other countries.

The index of consumer confidence has reached a level of 87.5 points, he believes the economy is expanding, but in general, this level does not represent the reality of the country’s economic growth since this year is expected to increase GDP to about 4.5%.

However, before the crisis, when national economic growth has averaged 4.0%, the index of consumer confidence was on top of a hundred points.

In 2009, the economy faces one of its worst crises in history, showing a downward adjustment of 6.5%, caused mainly by a decline in U.S. economic activity; this situation is that indicator of consumer confidence reached a minimum figure of 77.0 points.

The data of the confidence of domestic consumers has been very consistent in not truly reflect the economic situation, because in other countries in the United States and euro zone where the index is less than 50 points, says the economy is recession.

Consumer confidence is considered an important indicator that reflects the actual state of the national economy.

The outlook for this economic indicator for the following months is to continue to improve, after the prospect of a resumption of GDP by the end of this year as planned in early 2010.

Some financial analysts say the trend of this variable is determined by the macro economic developments, in addition to the behavior of domestic consumption, which takes at least 18 months depressed.

The financial market is estimated that by 2010 year-end, the index of consumer confidence will remain below 100 points and will be until 2011 when this indicator reaches levels seen before the global economic crisis began.

It is important to note that this indicator in March 2006 reached a record 112.6 points, that was when domestic economic activity was growing, and there was a dynamism that has reached levels higher growth to 4.0%.