In two phone conversations on the same day, e-business executives tell me that their companies have never placed an ad. One company is two, the other almost five years old. Yes, they've done marketing, some of it rather effective. But they've never placed an ad.
Sales are poor, they say, but they think they can hang on.
These are lean times, and they may get leaner. Budgets are tight. But they've never placed an ad. Advertising is too expensive. Advertising isn't effective.