Recession Proof Industries: A Few Unexpected Industries That Are Up When the Economy is Down

by Ella Keeven | Editor | The Daily Anchor

A while back we published a post about how to find a job in a recession, and we recommended that you consider switching to an industry that is expected to keep growing despite these difficult economic times. Most of those industries were pretty obvious (healthcare, energy, government, etc.,) though, so here’s a look at some unexpected industries that continue to rock through the recession.

#1. Clinical Strength Deodorant

Yep, you heard me right. According to a recent article by the New York Times, major deodorant brands are experiencing a jump in sales due to clinical strength deodorants that have just recently hit the market. It’s true, deodorant is a staple in most of our lives no matter what the economy is like. But in this day and age, when you can easily find a generic for your favorite brand if things are a little tight, why are people forking out the extra dough for the much more expensive clinical types (about $8.50 a stick compared to about $3?)

There are a couple of things going on here. First, in an industry where there is not much room for finding new customers, a new niche has been found to capitalize upon. Second, it looks like deodorant marketing teams have done their jobs. Kevin Hochman, marketing director for Proctor & Gamble’s deodorant division, said company research indicated that 25 percent of women consider themselves “heavy sweaters,” and among both sexes, about 35 percent experience at least one weekly “sweat event,” defined as feeling underarm wetness (whether or not anyone else notices,) he said. A poll commissioned by the International Hyperhidrosis Society (Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for extreme sweating) found that 66 percent of respondents who were asked what they associate with others visibly sweating, thought that the sweat-drenched were nervous. Forty-nine percent assumed they were overweight or unfit.

Ok, ok, I get it. Most of us would not want others thinking the above about us. But what did we do before clinical strength deodorant came along? I don’t feel like I see fewer sweaty people on the streets. But I have to say hats off to the power of marketing for creating this need.

#2. Spam

No, not mail, but that little square can that you have seen collecting dust in the back corner of your grandma’s pantry. Chances are, it has been sitting there since the end of the Great Depression, when Spam got it’s start. From that point on it has been the brunt of many jokes, including a Monty Python skit in the 70’s, also inspiring the term for internet spam. Well the joke’s over and Spam sales are up. While many of us are getting laid off, employees of the Hormel Foods Corporation Plant in Austin, Minnesota are living the dream. The factory workers are producing as much as humanly possible (with the help of some machines.) Time and time again, Americans turn to this delicious meat in a can as a way to save money and still put a protein packed meal on the table. As consumers cut back on many goods, Spam is among a select group of  grocery items that is selling steadily. The average 12-ounce can costs about $2.62. Spam sales are reaching across all spectrums, young and old, and rich and poor, said Swen Neufeldt, Hormel’s group product manager for the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of the eaters are new to Spam, which was created in 1937 and gained fame as the meat that fed Allied troops during World War II. Hormel, a 71-year-old company, began its first-ever national advertising campaign, including print and television, for Spam in January. Neufeldt said such campaigns are planned in advance and it wasn’t tied to perceived weakness in the economy. I say good timing.

Here are some Spam recipes for those of you looking to stretch your food budget (or those of you just interested in seeing what can be done with Spam.)

#3. Video Games

Despite our crappy economy, video game sales hit an all-time high during this otherwise depressing holiday retail shopping season. Thanks in part to Nintendo’s Wii and DS, which I have to admit, based on personal experience, are equally addicting. Anita Frazier, Analyst for NPD Group says, “Even as the economy deteriorated, the industry held its own. I think it’s taking an ever-larger share of total entertainment spending because if you think about it, it’s relatively inexpensive as compared to out-of-home forms of entertainment, and it (can) provide many hours of engagement.” It’s true. Not to mention they provide an escape from the real world. During the Great Depression, American’s flocked to the movies to take their minds off what was going on around them. Now, for not more than the price of a ticket per family member, you can get hours and hours of fun playing video games.” Which brings me to my next industry…

#4. Online DVD Rentals

It’s true, we as consumers are not taking our money out on the town like we once were and this includes to the movie theaters. Instead, we can watch a movie at home, pop our own bag of popcorn and pick-up a 2-liter of soda at the store for the cost of the straw that comes in the soda at the theaters. At the closing of 2008, NetFlix had 9.6 million users. And just this February, the company announced that they hit 10 million users. That is 400,000 new users since January 1, 2009. Holy Cow!! I guess a Netflix subscription is suddenly looking like a great bargain at just $8.99 to $47.99 a month for anywhere from one to eight at-home movies at a time. And to keep up with their growing demand, Watch Instantly – Netflix’s video library that allows subscribers to select from around 12,000 movies and TV shows to stream on demand over the Internet- is now available on TiVo, the Xbox video game console and a variety of Blu-Ray players.

Need A Job In A Recession Proof Industry?

You know where to look.

Tagged as: How to find a job in a recession, Layoffs, Recession, Recession proof industries