Marketing in an upturn?

It's been a while since I've written an entry as I have been traveling 
around Australia - where the recession doesn't seem to have happened at  
all! Now I'm back, I've been wondering whether to rename this  
blog 'Marketing in an Upturn' as hopefully that's what we'll all be focused  
on. Certainly the UK economy grew in the last quarter of 2008, albeit by  
the smallest amount, and as long as the black numbers keep coming, the goal  
of us all is now to benefit from the recovery, without losing the good  
principles of marketing through a downturn:

Be clear what you want to achieve and agree a clear set of KPIs so that you  
can measure progress

Focus on key customers - acquisition costs more than retention. Get to know  
them (or people like them) so that you can see the world from their eyes

Focus on key brands - make sure they are clearly differentiated and have  
compelling stories

Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity - it doesn't all cost  
the earth

Test, test and then test again - lots of variables to test

Watch, but don't necessarily copy competitors

Inspire yourself from case studies of how other marketers dealt with a  
similar problem to you'


...finally, remember ultimately we're trying to sell stuff, so keep your  
eyes on the money coming in as well as going out!