What do marketing and sprinting have in common?

When it comes to a world-class sprinter like Usain Bolt, it may look like he is kicking into another gear and going much faster than his competition. In reality, he is just slowing down the least. According to SMU biomechanics experts Peter Weyand and Andrew Udofa, who did a study on what makes Usain Bolt so dominant, it is not only the force at which each foot hits the ground, but that he can maintain his top speed longer. While most sprinters, even Bolt, can’t hang onto their top speeds past the 70-meter mark, Bolt decelerates the least.

Switching to marketing, according to research done by marketing experts Tony Hillier and Marilyn Baxter, companies that go dark or significantly cut back on their marketing activities during a downturn consistently emerge weaker, while those that increase marketing spend recover three times faster. Further, a report from IPA in 2008 found that simply maintaining marketing in a downturn, as opposed to cutting budgets is beneficial since cu