Couple of recent articles in the UK “Daily Telegraph” caught my eye and point to some potential bright spots amid the current economic gloom…

…and might give copywriters and marketers some ideas.

The first is…

“Healthy Hobby Sector Makes Hornby, Games Workshop And Future Bright”

“Future” is a specialist magazine publisher with a focus on hobbies (they recently launched “The Knitter”, for example!).  Amazingly, in the final quarter of 2008 they increased ad revenues by 1%, a remarkable performance in the current environment.

Games Workshop announced improved profits and Hornby (maker of trainsets and other hobby items) had a good trading performance over Christmas.

So three companies in the hobby sector, all doing reasonably well in a tough economy.

The second item is…

“Women Go Blond Amid Recession”

Celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton revealed a 67 percent surge in the sales of his blond hair care products…

…and the cause?

...a simple change of colour was providing women with the perfect antidote to the gloom of the credit crunch.

Seems to me, one factor connecting both these examples is feelings. As copywriters and marketers we know (or should know) that it’s the feelings people get from our products or services that really make them want to buy.

In difficult times, people will look for some relief from the gloom.  People tend to be fairly passionate about their hobbies in any case and they are a relatively inexpensive way to gain pleasure and enjoyment.

So, worth giving some thought to these examples and looking for potential opportunities in your own business.