From industries like travel to education to high fashion, a new wave of economic pressure is beginning to reshape budgets, pricing, and buying behavior. In this climate, marketing leaders are being asked to do the impossible: keep CPLs down, defend ROI, and drive growth, even as costs rise across the board.
So how do you build a better strategy when the market’s playing defense?
Tariffs Are More Than Trade — They Threaten Demand
New tariffs aren’t just reshaping supply chains, they’re squeezing demand across sectors. From travel to high fashion, marketers are being asked to stretch leaner budgets in industries where the cost of doing business just jumped.
Travel & Hospitality
Travel is already feeling the chill. International bookings to the U.S. are down—Europe alone has seen a 13% drop, with hotel bookings falling even further. Air Canada cut 10% of U.S. routes, and a new visa policy limits how long travelers can stay. As prices rise and regulations tighten, marketers face a tougher fight for fewer travelers.
Education
Education may not seem directly impacted by tariffs, but costs for essentials—like paper, ed-tech components, and imported classroom tools—are creeping up. With post-COVID stimulus drying up, schools have tighter budgets and less flexibility, which often means scaled-back marketing and reduced vendor spend.
High Fashion
Luxury brands face new tariffs up to 20% on European and U.K. imports. While some may pass costs to consumers, others risk shrinking margins or cooling demand. Chinese luxury sales already fell 20% in 2024, and analysts now expect global contraction. Still, brands with pricing power may weather the storm better.
Tried-and-True Strategies That Still Work
Even in turbulent times, performance marketers know how to adapt. The key is to stay focused on what you can control.
Here are the foundational tactics that will help you keep CPL low and ROI strong even when the market’s in flux:
1. Double Down on High-Intent Audiences
Now’s the time to refine your segmentation. Focus your dollars where they’ll convert. Use behavioral signals, retargeting, and qualified lookalikes to prioritize leads with the highest chance of closing.
2. Measure Ruthlessly, Adjust Quickly
When prices are volatile, your budget should be agile. Monitor CPL by source and campaign weekly (if not daily), and reallocate spend to top performers. The goal? Get more from every dollar.
3. Leverage Creative Testing
In uncertain markets, your creative needs to work harder. Run structured tests to find the combinations of message, format, and tone that convert efficiently. Small creative wins can move big performance levers.
4. Push Organic Harder
Every paid dollar matters more right now. That’s why it’s worth investing in strong organic content—especially if you can build SEO equity, community engagement, or viral reach that compounds over time.
5. Get Closer to Sales
Marketing and sales alignment isn’t optional anymore. It’s the fastest way to tighten feedback loops, reduce lead waste, and improve close rates. If you’re not collaborating weekly, you’re leaving ROI on the table.
Better Strategy Starts with a Better Agency
Tariffs may be out of your control, but how you respond isn’t. The strongest marketers will stay calm, stay scrappy, and stay focused on what works.
It’s not about finding silver bullets—it’s about building smarter, faster, more resilient strategies that outperform, no matter the economic weather.
Find a media partner who gets your brand, understands your goals, and knows how to build strategy that supports both sustainable performance and long-term growth.
