Just two weeks after the attacks on America, I boarded a plane from Los Angeles to the Bay Area for a quick business trip. The flight was blessedly uneventful. The added security checks weren’t a hardship. What made me nervous, however, was the somber mood and the uncomfortable quiet. In the waiting area, there was almost a respectful hush. Conversations were several decibels lower and cell phone users spoke in virtual whispers. The atmosphere was one of mild anxiety. Passengers deplaning the flight I was about to board seemed to lack enthusiasm for pursuing whatever lay ahead of them that day. I experienced more of the same while waiting for my return flight later that afternoon. I quickly began to consider these observations in terms of what I know best the business of marketing. Please don’t consider me cold for thinking about business so soon after the recent horrors. The events of Sept. 11 disturbed me deeply, and will probably do so for the rest of my life. But I believe that not getting back to business is tantamount to awarding the terrorists a victory. As President Calvin Coolidge said in 1925, “The business of America is business.” I have decided to support our country by doing whatever is required to get business and the economy back on track. And the best way for a marketer to accomplish this is to focus on building clients’ businesses during this sudden quiet time in the marketing continuum. Of course, the numbing effect of the attacks was compounded by the already faltering economy and the plummeting stock market. Americans have never been through this shock before. (Only Pearl Harbor comes close.) There’s no case study to guide us, no proven set of rules to show that sooner or later consumers are going to start consuming again. It’s up to marketing, advertising and communications professionals to use fresh thinking to overcome this unique challenge. Consumer confidence is in the toilet, but let’s not flush it away. That means we can’t simply hold on and pray for this thing to pass. Doing nothing will surely result in a rapid erosion of market share. However, doing business as usual is, in my opinion, a bit arrogant. Things may not be “as usual” for a long time to come. Americans are waiting for the other shoe to drop. What they need now is hope for the future and supportive marketing messages. Corporate flag-waving is OK as far as it goes, but reminding people about the tragedy will likely get them out of a buying mood. Additionally, patriotism and brand building are not necessarily compatible when it comes to motivating consumers. So what’s it going to take to get the marketing machinery moving? People want to feel good again! Indicating how your products and services will help them feel good is the most important concept to communicate. Brands that demonstrate that they understand the new feelings and attitudes of traumatized consumers, without reminding them of their fears, will build strong relationships with them. But wary consumers are not likely to buy unless they believe they have permission to buy. This could be the major stumbling block on the path to creating a decision to buy now. A purchase won’t result if fear and guilt aren’t overcome. Appealing to a sense of community, family and friends, coupled with an underlying promise of well-being, will go a long way toward encouraging consumers to visit a particular store or invite a given product into their homes. They’ve got to be made to feel comfortable, secure and free to buy. All of us in the marketing and communications industry have an opportunity to contribute to getting consumers onto the comeback trail. Those who do it with sensitivity and understanding will undoubtedly succeed for their clients and for the country. Those who don’t grasp the nuances of the changed consumer climate will miss the opportunity to help the economy recover its equilibrium and head in a positive direction once again. We must stop talking about how bad things are. This is simply a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s time to move forward and start making some noise on the Western front of marketing. Donald L. Potter is president and CEO of Potter, Katz, Postal and Ferguson Inc. of North Hollywood.