We've said it before, but cutting out marketing when times get tough for your small business doesn't make sense. Don't believe it? Before you start axing your print advertising and SEO budget, check out these pieces in The Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report this week, which both maintain that cutting marketing is "short-sighted." Enough said.

While we've beaten that dead horse already, one critical point a lot of entrepreneurs seem to continue missing is not whether to cut marketing, but whether to refocus it. Ask yourself, does your marketing message still work given the current state of the economy?

People are cutting back on extravagances. Even the truly rich are feeling it, as evidenced by stories like the one in the New York Times earlier this month proclaiming that the wealthy are forgoing "little" luxuries like $10K an hour jet rentals and (gasp!) Botox.

If in the past you've sold your products or services by plugging their high expense as luxury (we're talking to you, Gucci), it's worth asking if that message still resonates with consumers—even if that's wealthy buyers who can still afford such purchases.

Here's an example: The WSJ Independent Street blog writes today about an ad in Dwell magazine, pushing a high-end bed with the line: "Who Would Pay $64,950 for a Bed?" My response? An insane person. Even if you could afford it, the message feels so mid-90s and antiquated. And given, as the Journal cites, that the bed is the same price as a Benz SLK Roadster, the message just seems ridiculously, laughably extravagant and out of step with current events. Important point: I'm not suggesting that you drop the price of your product or service, just maybe that you shouldn't sell it on the merit of its price alone.

While he's not commenting specifically about the bed, Stefan Tornquist, the research director for Marketing Sherpa, makes an excellent point about refocusing your advertising if it conveys high cost:

"Maybe a better message is the longevity of the product and long-term value rather than something that implies high cost. Smart companies take a downturn as a reason to look at current customers and re-evaluate how these relationships can be expanded."

What do you think? Can you still get away with pushing extravagances by equating a $65K price tag with quality? The message has worked in the past—it's why Prada can get away with selling nylon shoulder bags for a couple thousand dollars. Times have changed, though. Should small businesses selling luxury or pricey goods and services think about tinkering with their message?

Postscript: Yes, that's really the $65K bed below.