Marketing in Tough Times: Why Visibility Is Your Competitive Advantage

Let’s not sugar-coat it – doing business in South Australia right now is tougher than ever.

Costs are climbing across the board. Margins are tight. And confidence? According to the latest CreditorWatch data, 1 in 10 hospitality businesses have shut down in the last 12 months, with SA recording the highest closure rate nationally at 10.8%. Meanwhile, the SA Tourism Barometer shows a $373 million drop in visitor spend over the past year—even as other states are seeing growth.

Yet, despite all this, South Australia still boasts one of the best-performing state economies on paper.

So, what gives?

The disconnect is real. On the ground, many businesses – especially small operators are feeling the pressure. It’s not that we’re failing. It’s that we’re fighting. Every week, every invoice, every rostering decision is a balancing act.

And in that struggle, one line item is often the first to face the axe: marketing.

But here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear: cutting back on marketing in a downturn is like turning off your GPS in a storm. It might save battery for a bit—but at what cost?

Marketing Isn’t Optional. It’s Operational.

If your customers can’t see you, hear from you, or connect with your value, they’ll go with the business that did show up.

Marketing is how:

• You stay top-of-mind when spending slows

• You reinforce trust in uncertain times

• You give people a reason to choose you when every dollar counts

It’s not a luxury – it’s your link to loyalty, retention, and new opportunity.

South Australia Runs on Small Business and We Need to Stay Loud

We have over 155,000 small businesses across the state, most of them owner-operated, community-embedded, and run by people juggling everything from stock orders to social media. We’re talking about:

• Local cafés and pubs

• Trades and services

• Creatives and consultants

• Family-run retailers and manufacturers

When the going gets tough, we can’t afford to disappear. We need to be smarter, not smaller.

So What Should You Do Instead?

💡 Refocus: Cut the fluff. Double down on what’s working.
📊 Leverage data: Understand who’s engaging, where, and why.
📣 Tell your story: People buy from people especially when money is tight.
🧠 Stay visible: If your competitors go quiet, now’s your chance to lead the conversation.

Because even now, especially now, South Australians want to support local.
They want connection. Solutions. Community.

But they can’t support you if they don’t remember you’re there.

So if you’re weighing up cutting marketing spend – don’t go silent.

Tighten it. Recalibrate it.
But for the sake of your future business stay in the conversation.