While we're not usually into the idea of themes (it makes of think of decorative Christmas sweaters) the blog has decidedly struck one this week: survival. That is how to navigate the economic chaos that's befallen the world the past few weeks without freaking out, entirely losing sight of your business plan, or worse, losing your start-up. So, for this week's survey question, we asked for your take on one survival strategy: slashing the price of goods and services (even on premium products) in the hopes that consumers looking for a deal will bite. Does it boost sales? Or does it simply cheapen the company's image, as the New York Times argued earlier this week:

"A recession represents a major peril for a premium brand. There's a temptation to cut prices to maintain sales. But sometimes it's better to let sales fall than to cheapen your image so much that the halo is lost when the market rebounds."

As a customer looking for a deal, you said not so much, New York Times. Reader Mahesh notes:

"From the standpoint of an end user, I'd say, 'yes, that's awesome,' and I wouldn't really think less of the product."

Neither would we. But that's because we like deals. As an entrepreneur though, there are a few more considerations. For instance, it appears (anecdotally) like the issue may be product and industry dependent. Consider if Prada bags started selling for $100 as opposed to the $1K -plus they go for now. It strikes us that it would have the net effect of cheapening the company's name (we'll explain why in a minute). But on the flip side, when Apple slashed the price of the iPhone last summer—dramatically—only a few people batted an eyelash and sales skyrocketed, suggesting that the perceived quality of a product may not be entirely correlated with its price tag.

So what's the difference between Apple and Prada? One factor may be technology. If you're able to justify a price cut—for instance, the product became cheaper because you developed a new technology—it doesn't make the product appear any lesser. To the contrary, in fact. But if your company's entire image hinges on being a purveyor of uber-luxury goods whose cost is part of their appeal because it can't really be lowered, then consumers will start wondering just how you slashed prices if you go that route. Did they cut corners? Use cheaper materials? And as a premium brand, those aren't questions you want.

Anyone have any final thoughts?