Great Neck-based CoActive Marketing Group specializes in promotional giveaways

At a time when advertising budgets are still facing tough scrutiny from executives looking to keep costs low in a soft economy, CoActive Marketing Group is finding its footing.

The company, which specializes in promotions such as sampling done in stores, saw profits nearly double to $1.7

The firm expects continued growth of 25 percent to 30 percent to its bottom line in the next fiscal year, largely due to those cuts.

"We overstaffed ahead of time in anticipation of things that didn't materialize," Bernard said.

With things apparently turning around, the firm said last week it planned to triple the size of its Manhattan office to 30,000 square feet.

The Great Neck-based firm's client roster includes Folgers, Corona, Keebler, Schick, Valvoline and Coca Cola.

Promotional marketing, ranging from store giveaways to sweepstakes, grew about 9.7 percent nationwide to $233.7 billion in 2002, according to Promo Magazine.