Marian Salzman, the CMO of Porter Novelli in New York, was in Toronto recently. As the economy makes headlines across Canada, the trend spotter reveals how corporations should react — both now, and in the future.

In today's economy, what kind of messages do people want to hear?
You have to step back and say, “Bad news is dominating all news.” This is not the prime moment to be buzzing about what is new, what is hip, ...