I had never even heard of Burt’s Bees until I stumbled upon it with my wife a few years back (when we were at a bookstore, of all places). She raved about how much she loved the brand and just had to have it. Fine, I thought–until I saw how much the little twist tube cost. Yikes!

Once I got over the shock, however, I knew I wanted to find out more about this oddly-named natural product. I’m always impressed by brands that are unafraid to charge premium prices.

Mike Indursky is chief marketing and strategic officer of Burt’s Bees. In a recent Advertising Age interview, Indursky talked about why the brand isn’t changing its pricing strategy during the recession. He says, “We’ve made a decision not to cut back. In a bad economy is when peoples’ value equations change, and it’s important for us to really make sure consumers understand the value that comes from buying Burt’s. It’s not about playing a price game.”

Indursky, who also oversees R&D; at Burt’s, hasn’t lost his nerve, a good sign for the $200 million brand. And he’s managed to continue growing market share, even as competitors are cutting prices. Not every company can charge twice as much as the competition and grow market share during a recession, but the fact that even one can should be encouraging to us all.