The Financial Times (FT) announced that it is launching an advertising campaign that includes nearly empty billboards to question the global trend of cutting advertising budgets across the industry, the Guardian reported Friday.

The initiative was developed by advertising firm DDB London and is expected to commence this coming Monday, featuring billboards that appear as though they were stripped bare, meanwhile containing a small area in the top corner that displays the FT logo. In addition, it would show the following phrase: “Global downturn. What's the first mistake businesses make?”

The campaign will also be on ft.com/budgets, while gearing to initiating debates about why companies drop marketing budgets as a response to economic difficulties, the Guardian reported. The posters are intended to advise companies to maintain their ad expenditure during an economic slump since they might “take market share from rivals and grow quicker when the economic outlook improves.”

FT Global Marketing Director Frances Brindle told the Guardian there was significant evidence that supports the view that companies that do continue their investment in ads during difficult times “emerge stronger than those that don't.”

The campaign will run in the trade press and the campaign's Web site will feature case studies illustrating the advantages of retaining advertising budgets during tough economic times.