iPads Dominate Global Mobile Workforce

May 25, 2011

A combined 75% of global mobile workers who own a tablet own an iPad or iPad2, according to an April 2011 report from iPass. Data from the “iPass Global Mobile Workforce Report” indicates that about 63% of those workers own an original iPad.

‘Other’ Next Most Popular Brand

In a further sign of the stranglehold the iPad has on the global mobile workforce, the next-most-popular tablet brand for mobile workers is “other” (8.7%). The Blackberry Playbook follows with 6.4% penetration.

iPad2 Will Come of Age

When asked what tablet they will most likely own in the next six months, about 44% of respondents said the iPad2 (close to quadruple its current share), with iPad penetration dropping more than 50% to almost 27%. This will slightly lower iPad’s overall share of the global mobile workforce market to 71%.
In addition, Blackberry Playbook and Other are expected to tie behind the iPads with a 6.7% share each. Twenty-seven percent of global mobile workers with a tablet have one provided by their workplace.

9 in 10 Tablet-Owning Mobile Workers Use Them for Work

Close to nine in 10 (87%) of global mobile workers who own a tablet use it for at least some work. The highest percentage (about 32%) say they own a personal tablet which is mostly used for personal activities but also some work. Five percent say they have a company tablet which is only used for work.

9 in 10 Check Smartphone During Downtime

During downtime, 91% of mobile workers check their smartphone at least occasionally, with 6% not owning a smartphone and 4% never checking it (total equals more than 100% due to rounding). iPass analysis indicates smartphone-checking during downtime is up 6% from 86% in 2010.
In addition, more than 7% of mobile workers admit to checking their smartphone obsessively, up about 17% from nearly 6% in 2010.

Gen X Most Likely to Check Smartphone

When you look at downtime by generation, overall those 35 to 44 are most likely to check their smartphone at least occasionally (94%) during downtime. And those 22 to 34 are most likely to admit to checking their smartphone obsessively (12%).
Not surprisingly, mobile workers 55 and older are least likely to check their smartphone during downtime (85%), least likely to check their smartphone obsessively (4%), and most likely to not have a smartphone (9%) or never check it (6%).

Pew: Under 56 Key Age Range for Tablets

As of September 2010, 4% of American adults own a tablet computer such as an iPad, according to a study from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Data from “Generations and Their Gadgets” indicates that though education and household income are high predictors for owning a tablet computer, they are also more popular with adults age 56 and under (who are significantly more likely to own a tablet computer than adults age 66 and older).
About the Data: The iPass Mobile Workforce Report is based on information from more than 3,700 responses to an iPass survey of mobile enterprise employees at more than 1,100 enterprises worldwide. The survey was conducted between April 1 and April 15, 2011, and represented employees across multiple age groups and geographies. The survey respondents were asked about their mobile productivity, work habits, and related experiences.

Hawaii Thrives, West Virginia Not So Much

April 4, 2011

Residents of Hawaii, Alaska, and Wyoming are the most likely among residents of U.S. states to be “thriving,” based on how they rate their lives at this time and five years from now, while residents of West Virginia and Kentucky are the least likely, according to new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data. Gallup classifies Americans as “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” according to how they rate their lives “at this time” and “about five years from now” on a ladder scale based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale.

Hawaii Leads Nation in Current and Future Life Ratings

Residents of Hawaii lead the nation on the thriving measure by a significant margin because they rate their lives at this time and their lives in five years significantly better than do residents of other states. Residents of Alaska, Maryland, and Texas also are among the most positive in the nation on both measures.
Residents of North Dakota and Wyoming, both among the leaders in the nation on the thriving measure, are second only to residents of Hawaii on how they rate their lives at the current time, at 7.2 on average. Residents of Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Utah closely follow Hawaii in terms of their optimistic attitudes about their lives five years from now, rating their future lives a 7.9 or higher on average.

Americans More Optimistic about Future

Americans’ ratings of their lives five years from now consistently exceed ratings of their current lives, both during time and across all 50 states. Gallup says this suggests that people in various situations, good and bad, tend to express optimism that things will improve in the future.

No Clear Regional Differences in Life Ratings

Well-Being Index data indicates there is no clear regional pattern to the states that do better or worse in terms of percentage of residents who are thriving. For example, Connecticut and Massachusetts both have thriving rates of more than 50%, but Rhode Island, which is nestled between the two, has a thriving rate of only 48.9%.
Furthermore, the Western states of Oregon and Nevada are considered to be in the lower range of average Life Ratings scores, but every other Western state is in the middle or higher range. Similar discrepancies can be seen in the Southeast and Plains states.

Obesity Highest in WV, Lowest in CO

In other bad health-related news for West Virginia, it has the highest rate (33.5%) of adult obesity of any US state, while Colorado (20%) has the lowest, according to other recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data. The prevalence of obesity is nearly 35% higher, on average, in the 11 states with the highest obesity levels compared with the 10 states with the lowest obesity levels: 30.5% vs. 22.6%, respectively.
About the Data: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey Jan. 1-Dec. 29, 2010, with a random sample of 352,840 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling.

Hispanic Magazine Ad Dollars at $51.4 Million, Up 25% so Far

May 24, 2011

Ad spending is rebounding in 2011 among leading Hispanic magazines, according to HispanicMagazineMonitor estimates released May 23 by Media Economics Group. Overall, in January-April 2011, the segment has generated $51.4 million in ad dollars, an increase of 24.8% over the same period last year.

While performance is inconsistent across the segment, many key Hispanic titles and categories have shown strong growth in ad pages and spending so far this year.

Leading the segment is People en Español posting a 58.6% growth in estimated ad dollars based on its 52.4% growth in ad pages. Meredith titles also posted strong gains: Ad dollars were up by 46.7% at Siempre Mujer, ranking the title third in overall ad dollars). Meredith’s Ser Padres is up 17.3%, and Ser Padres Espera (16%) also posted strong gains. The ninth ranked title Cosmo en Español from Televisa posted gains in both ad pages, with a 12.9% increase, and estimated ad dollars, up 13.5%.

Cuts in publication frequency contributed to declines in ad pages for two of Televisa’s titles: TV y Novelas lost 14.9% of its ad pages while Vanidades lost nearly a quarter, down 22.4%. Both titles have reduced frequency from 18 issues per year in 2010 to 12 issues this year. Higher rate base and rate card rates, however, resulted in positive gains in ad revenue estimates for those two titles: TV y Novelas with an increase of 19.3%, Vanidades, up 18.0%.

Latina, which ranked second overall among Hispanic magazines with $6.9 million total dollars, posted flat ad dollar growth, up just 0.4%, and a slight decline, -3.1%,  in ad pages. Hispanic Business – hit hard by the decline in auto spending – continues to struggle with a 25% decline in ad spending and 27.4% decline in ad pages so far this year.

Procter & Gamble Tops among Advertisers

Among 2011’s leading advertisers in Hispanic magazines, Procter & Gamble is top of the list with $12.0 million in ad spending through April. This is the largest year-over-year increase, growing 32.2% from last year with an increase of $2.9 million.

New campaigns for Mars, Inc. candy brands yielded a 125% increase in ad spending for the company this year.

Wyeth campaigns for Prevnar 13, a pediatric vaccine, Advil PM, and Children’s Advil led to nearly $1.4 million in new spending in Hispanic magazines in the January to April period compared to no spending during the same period last year. Most of Wyeth’s spending through April has been allocated primarily to People en Español (46.2%), followed closely by Ser Padres (32.2%), and Siempre Mujer (18.7%).

Auto spending remains weak; overall the category posted a 4% increase. But the lead spender GM logged a 6% decline in ad spending. Despite its decline, GM still remains the top auto advertiser, accounting for 76% of auto advertising for the year.

Rent-to-own News - Six quick-hit marketing ideas for social media

In this age of hyper-speed marketing, it's most likely time that you start adding "mini campaigns" to your year-long marketing plans. Think of these as quick hits that fill in the gaps between your major marketing efforts.

The challenge and opportunity for businesses -- especially those that rely on a traditional marketing calendar based on holidays, seasons and sales cycles -- is that marketing communications can catch fire or sizzle quickly on social media channels, according to social media expert Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact.

Of the 140 million tweets on Twitter that are posted every day, 92 percent of re-tweets happen in the first 60 minutes. Content also churns over on Facebook, where the site's more than 500 million users  help businesses extend the reach of their campaigns by clicking the "Like" button.

Conversely, the average email marketing campaign is said to have an average lifespan of 48 hours, with most emails being opened within the first 24 hours. That's a long shelf life compared to how quickly content and promotions shoot through social media.

The key is to not think about marketing in terms of the tools and destinations available. "This is my Facebook campaign." "This is my Twitter campaign." "This is my email marketing campaign." "This is my YouTube campaign." Think more about the message and how to best distribute it across the media.

For example, use Twitter as the hook where you spark conversation, and link back to Facebook, where you engage consumers in greater participation. Then use what you learn in your email newsletter and on your website for deeper content integration. Make sure that your content crafted appropriately for each channel.

Here are six examples of ways to spice up your year-long marketing campaign without investing a lot of time and resources:

1. Respond to Current Events, Engage: customers over social media by sparking dialog around news or events that relate to your field or industry. Interpret the news, and offer your opinion, while inviting customers to chime in with their concerns and views as well.

2. Introduce a New Product or Service: If you have a new product or service offering then inform your customers about it. You can even share an often-overlooked service or product in a "did you know" format. Enhancements to your business provide ample reasons to reach out to customers with mini marketing bursts.

3. Invite Customers to a Special Promotion, Demonstration or Event: You don't have to plan months in advance to invite customers to a product demonstration, open house or another impromptu event. And you can connect into local happenings in your town or industry.

4. Share a New Company or Customer Video: This is another way to create an engagement marketing opportunity. Share a casual video message from yourself or one of your employees, or a customer testimonial video. Producing video can be fun, easy and, most importantly, engaging.

5. Give Thanks in a Customer Appreciation Message: It never hurts to tell customers, "We just wanted to thank you." Neither does showing them how you're using their feedback by telling them, "You spoke, we listened: We've made some changes to our business." Or, celebrate your in-business anniversary by thanking customers for their loyalty.

6. Offer a Free Report, Tips or Other Timely Information: You don't always have to ask customers for their business. Sometimes, you'll want to give back. You can do so by providing knowledge and insights in the form of how-to guides, white papers, service giveaways or some other limited-edition offer.

It's hard to predict which mini marketing campaigns will catch on and go viral, and which won't. That's OK. Create opportunities. Try new ideas. Test the waters without investing too much time or draining your budget. That's what social media and customer engagement marketing are all about. Engage your customers in a variety of ways, across channels, and see which mini campaigns turn into your greatest engagement marketing moments.

From http://www.rtohq.org

AOL, CollegeHumor Get Biggest MOM Video Viewer Boosts

May 23, 2011

AOL Media Network and The CollegeHumor Network saw the largest month-over-month increase in unique viewers, up 13% and 11% respectively, among US online video brands in April 2011, according to data from The Nielsen Company. They placed sixth and seventh in the top 10 rankings.

MSN, CNN, Fox Lose Viewers

MSN/WindowsLiveBing was ranked fifth overall with 13.8 million unique viewers but still lost a leading 13.4% of its March audience. Other brands in the top 10 losing significant month-over-month viewership include #9 CNN Digital Network (-11.3%) and #10 Fox Interactive Media (-10.9%).
Perennial leader YouTube remained on top with almost 111.2 million unique viewers, although this represented a small 0.6% decline from March.

Mormon Site’s Engagement Rises for Easter

Three of the top 10 most engaging video brands in April saw their video viewers more than triple their average time spent viewing video on the site. Time spent viewing video on The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints was up 254%, due to what Nielsen says was Easter-related content. Ustream.tv and CBS Sports also saw significant growth as viewers increased their video viewing time by 246% and 239%, respectively.
Chinese video site Tudou.com engaged its US viewers for the longest average time during the course of the month, five hours and 32 minutes. However, this was down a significant 35% from March. Meanwhile, number two Hulu was close behind with an average of five hours and 10 minutes, although it lost 1.2% of its time average from the previous month.

YouTube Streams Hit All-time High

YouTube, the number one online video brand in terms of average streams per viewer, saw its usage hit at an all-time high in April as US viewers consumed 8.7 billion streams, up 7% from the previous month. Hulu followed with a little more than 760 million streams, although this figure was down 6.2% from March.
New to the list of most heavily used sites with double-digit gains in streams from March were Dailymotion (+61%), AOL Media Network (+31%) and Megavideo (+25%).

Total Streams Also Hit New High

During April, Americans streamed 14.7 billion videos, up 1.9% from March and the most streams ever in a month. While the number of videos streamed increased, total viewing time actually decreased during the period. There were 141.4 million unique U.S. video viewers who spent an average of 4 hours, 31 minutes viewing video over the course of the month.

YouTube Grows YOY Viewers 14%

Online video leader YouTube grew its total unique viewership a significant 14% from about 97.1 million in April 2010. In addition, total streams rose about 77%, from 4.9 billion.
Overall online video usage also generally increased, with total viewers rising 6% from 133.5 million rising 56% from 9.4 billion. Streams per viewer rose 47% from 70.5.

KraftMaid Leads Cabinet Satisfaction

May 23, 2011

KraftMaid ranks highest in customer satisfaction among kitchen cabinet manufacturers with a score of 771 out of 1,000 (and compared to average industry score of 754) and performs particularly well in three of the five factors: design features, operational performance and ordering and delivery, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Satisfaction Study. The study shows that overall customer satisfaction with cabinet brands has increased notably from 2010, primarily due to improved satisfaction with cabinet design, performance and value.

Following KraftMaid in the rankings are Thomasville (767) and Merrillat (765). Thomasville performs particularly well in the warranty factor.

Ordering and Delivery Build Satisfaction

Overall satisfaction with kitchen cabinet brands has increased from an average of 742 on a 1,000-point scale in 2010 to 754 in 2011. Satisfaction with the design features, price and operational performance factors have improved in 2011, compared with 2010. Kitchen cabinet customers are particularly satisfied with the ordering and delivery factor in 2011, which is the most influential factor contributing to overall satisfaction.

The study measures customer satisfaction with kitchen cabinets by measuring five factors: design features (such as the variety of cabinet colors/finishes and range of sizes and shapes available); operational performance (including smoothness of drawer slides and sturdiness of cabinet joinery); ordering and delivery (including ease of ordering, condition of products at delivery and timeliness); price; and warranty.

8 in 10 Customers Pick Own Cabinet Brand

The study finds that eight in 10 cabinet purchasers (81%) personally made the decision of which brand to buy, rather than having an installer, contractor, retailer or architect decide. A sizable proportion of these customers relied on either their past experience with a brand or in-store product displays while shopping for kitchen cabinets. Cabinet purchasers cite price, quality and cabinet styling and feel as the primary reasons for selecting a particular brand.

6 in 10 Cabinet Purchasers Buy Stock-sized Units

In 2011, six in 10 (59%) cabinet purchasers say they bought stock-sized units, rather than semi- or fully custom cabinets. In comparison, 46% of cabinet purchasers in 2010 said the same, meaning the popularity of stock-sized units has grown 28% year-over-year. J.D. Power analysis indicates this shift suggests budgetary constraints are becoming increasingly influential in the cabinet selection process.

Average Purchaser Spends $4.5K

The study finds that 45% of purchasers are replacing their cabinets as part of a full kitchen remodel and are spending approximately $4,500, on average, for cabinets.

2 in 3 Homeowners Plan Renovations

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of homeowners say they will invest in renovation projects this year,according to the March 2011 American Express Spending & Saving Tracker.

About the Data: The 2011 U.S. Kitchen Cabinet Satisfaction Study, published by J.D. Power and Associates, measures customer satisfaction based on responses from more than 1,200 consumers who purchased kitchen cabinets within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded in March and April 2011 and is the source of the enclosed chart.

Young Adults Recommend via SocNets, SMS

Young adults are far more likely than the general population to discuss or recommend products and services via social networking, SMS text messaging and IM than the general population, according to [sign-in page] the Colloquy 2011 “Word of Mouth” study. Data from the study indicates 58% of young adults recommend products via social networking communities, making them two-thirds more likely to do so than the general population (35%).

Young Adults 150% More Likely to Recommend via SMS

A lower percentage of young adults (48%) recommends products via SMS mobile messaging, but this figure is about 150% more than the 19% of the general population who do so. Out of “new school” communication methods, young adults are also about 64% more likely to recommend products via IM (36% compared to 22%).
In addition, young adults are more than twice as likely as the general population to make recommendations via microblogging sites, but the percentage is still very low (12% compared to 5%).

Young Adults Still Go ‘Old School’

In a sign of the times, Colloquy classifies cell phone conversations as “old school” communications, and they are the only old school means of communication that young adults (70%) are more likely to use for recommending products than the general population (50%, a 40% difference). However, young adults have at least a 36% participation rate for all other old school communication formats (which also include email!).
When discussing or recommending products or services, young adults use an average of 4.5 different communication methods, while the general population uses 3.9 different methods.

Word-of-mouth Product Convos Decline

Study results indicate a substantial decline in word-of-mouth product/service conversations and recommendations during the past two years. In 2009, 73% of respondents said they often have conversations about products, which dropped about 26% to 58% in 2011.
Similarly, in 2009, 75% of respondents said they often recommend products and conversations by word of mouth, which dropped 32% to 57% in 2011.

Fiscal Situation Impacts Recommendation Likelihood

Generally speaking, consumers with a good financial situation and future are more likely to converse about and recommend products and services. Seventy-one percent of respondents whose household budget is better this year than last often have conversations about products and services, 27% more than the 56% of respondents whose household budget is worse this year. And 63% of respondents with a better household budget often make product/service recommendations, 14.5% more than the 55% of respondents with a worse household budget.
Future financial outlook also affects likelihood. Seventy-four percent of those with a better financial outlook have conversations, 34.5% more than the 55% of those with a worse financial outlook; while 67% of those with a better outlook make recommendations, 22% more than the 55% of those with a worse outlook.

Socializing, New Products Get Advocates Chatting

About eight in 10 (83%) brand advocates, or consumers who habitually share information about products they use, strongly agree they communicate with others online to “meet nice people” and “receive free products,” according to a new study from marketing network BzzAgent. Data from “A Field Guide to Brand Advocates” indicates 75% like “incentives they receive for communicating.”
About the Data: Results are based on completed responses from 3,295 US consumers nationwide. The survey was conducted in December 2010 by the polling firm Toluna.

Tigres del Norte and Friends TV Campaign

30 Sec TV Spot





3 Minutes TV Spot





Los Tigres del Norte and Friends:
1. Paulina Rubio
2. Diego Torres
3. Zack de la Rocha
4. Rene
5. Juanes
6. Andres Calamaro

Busca mas informacion en: http://www.tigresandfriends.com/
Buscalo a partir de Mayo 22!!!!!!

7 Guidelines To Taking Your Global Brand Local Via Social Media. And Vice Versa

A visitor to Starwood's Preferred Guests Facebook page can log on and, if he so chooses, change the language setting to Spanish, German or Chinese. As he does, he'll watch the language on the Free Weekends promotion tab change as well. A simple thing, no? No, actually. Global brands trying to introduce their products and services to local markets via social media are finding many of the platforms' tools lacking in sophistication and even in some cases, basic functionality. Fragmentation is the rule of the day, with the result being a customer able to pull up a Starbucks U.S. page, Starbucks Deutschland, Starbucks UK, Starbucks Canada, and so on, each with a different set of followers and no central theme or branding. Facebook itself hasn't provided much help; in this particular case Starwood deployed an add-on called +GLOBAL, launched by Buddy Media in Summer 2010. Essentially it allows global marketers to maintain a single, unified Facebook presence across multiple countries and languages. Companies can combine their global Facebook assets into a single brand page and single URL, while still allowing individual country brand managers to tailor the language and content of their country's page. This social media fragmentation is more than just a design issue, Buddy Media says. According to one of its many surveys, it found that fragmentation makes it impossible to aggregate and analyze engagement activity, all of which was pulled from multiple, 'siloed' sources. Many Moving Parts, Many Steps Having the necessary tools to manage this process, though - and their numbers are growing, albeit too slowly for many marketers - is just one piece of this picture, which consists of multiple, moving parts. In short there are several steps a brand must follow if it wants to reach this dual goal of central control over the message but with a local tone and content and color. The good news is, many of the principles developed over decades for successful localized advertising and marketing campaigns can be tailored to social media. And more good news: these same principles can also be used as a firm rolls out local mobile and, to a lesser extent, search strategies from a global perch. They also work in reverse — want to appear global even if you are a ten-person shop based in New York with agents working out of their homes in Paris, Sydney and Frankfurt? Follow these guidelines. Guideline #1: Social media in any market has certain characteristics in common. Get these down pat starting with the most important: If there is one characteristic social media is taking on in country after country is that consumers see themselves as equals to the companies. That means no preaching, no overt selling, maintaining a conversational tone. "Consumers want a dialogue where brands listen to what they have to say rather than just push their messages out without taking into account what consumers think, feel and want," comments Rob Hernandez, global brand director of market research company Firefly Millward Brown, which recently published a study on this topic.  "They dislike gimmicks and want companies to be honest about their products and services, warts and all. Consumers' biggest fear is that marketers will turn social media from a community into a marketplace." Guideline #2: Don't recreate your homepage in social media, Firefly Millward Brown goes on to warn. Consumers want to see something new, fresh or different from brands – not a rehash of the same information they can get on the brand's official web site. Guideline #3: It is time-consuming but campaigns do have to be customized for each market. Spend the necessary resources, which may entail hiring a local agency or finding local influencers. Guideline #4: Give your brand a local face. Brands often suffer in social media because they don't have anyone that answers to the consumer, a face for the brand and it prevents many consumers from actively engaging with companies in social media, Firefly Millward Brown also said. Pick local ambassadors or spokespersons - better yet local celebrities - who understand the local markets and consumers. Guideline #5: And let consumers talk for you, Firefly Millward Brown urges - brands get more respect when consumers take the initiative and advocate them. "The recent Toyota campaign, where real people talked about their stories on Facebook and were then featured in a television ad, is a great example of how a brand can build relationships by encouraging customers to participate in conversations, rather than by overt sales efforts." Guideline #6: Pull it all together by thinking of your headquarters as an agency. This is advice adopted from, and slightly tweaked, comments made by Gayle Weiswasser, vice president of social media communications at Discovery Communications (via SmartBrief's social media blog) In an interview with SmartBrief she spoke about how Discovery manages its social media outreach, which about 70 Facebook pages and 13 Twitter accounts, each representing the individual networks and television shows under the Discovery umbrella. Each network has to be developed according to its individual needs and accounts have their own strategy based on their content and target audience, Weiswasser said, while Discovery Communications works with each individual network to meet their promotional goals. "We're almost like a little agency," she said. Like an agency, the "accounts" or fan pages are treated separately but equally. Their common goal is to establish strong relationships with fans and get people to watch the shows. How they go about doing that is where they differ. Guideline #7: Don't automate, especially from headquarters. Better to build a local social audience slowly by hand then sending out automated tweets that say "Thanks!" and so on. At the most, use tools that allow you to schedule tweets, such as HootSuite, SocialOomph and CoTweet. Source:http://www.marketingvox.com/7-guidelines-to-taking-your-global-brand-local-via-social-media-and-vice-versa-049296/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mv&utm_medium=textlink

6 in 10 Americans Say Vacation Important

May 18, 2011

More than six in 10 (61%) Americans say taking a vacation away from where they live this year is important, according to results of an April-May 2011 USA Today/Gallup poll. This includes 36% who say a vacation is very important and 25% who say it is somewhat important.

Gas Prices Don’t Greatly Affect Summer Travel Plans

Twenty-nine percent of Americans say they will “travel less” this summer, about the same as said that last year at this time (27%), despite the spike in the price of gas. A similar percentage (20%) as last year (18%) also say they will travel more, with a small but notable year-over-year drop in the percentage saying they will travel the same (37% in 2010, 32% in 2011).

Percentage Expecting to Spend More Rises Dramatically

Seventy-one percent of Americans who will be traveling this summer predict they will spend more on transportation. This is 82% more than the 39% who said they would spend more on transportation last May, when Gallup data indicates the average price of gas in the US was about $2.80 per gallon.

Vacations Much Less Important for Those 65 and Older

For many people, vacations are an opportunity to get away from work, which Gallup says helps explain why Americans 65 years of age and older give much lower importance ratings to vacations away from home than do those younger than 65. Only 39% of the oldest Americans say taking a vacation this year is very or somewhat important, 85% less than the 72% of 18-29-year-olds. This percentage is still 50% less than the next-lowest-percentage, 68%, among 50-64-year-olds.

TripAdvisor: More Plan Summer Trips

Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer; up almost 4% from 83% who said they traveled last summer, according to data from TripAdvisor. While most Americans appear committed to taking vacations this summer, they are conscious of gas prices as 39% said the rising cost of fuel is affecting their summer travel plans. Eighteen percent of respondents expect to take fewer trips by car, 12% intend to take shorter driving trips and five percent are not planning to travel at all this summer, as a result of rising fuel prices.

As a result of the rising gas prices, 24% of travelers said the maximum distance they are willing to drive for a leisure trip this summer is 200 miles. However, if it meant significant savings on airfare costs, 21% would be willing to spend 10 hours or more driving to a destination this summer.

About the Data: Results for this USA Today/Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 30-May 1, 2011, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 1,019 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Mobile Marketing Spend to Sextuple 2010-2015

May 2, 2011

The total amount of money spent by US marketers on mobile advertising and promotions will reach about $56.5 billion by 2015, according to [sign-in page] data from Mobitrove. That expected figure is more than six times the almost $9.3 billion US marketers spent on mobile advertising and promotions in 2010.

Mobile Advertising Will Grow in Dominance

Mobitrove divides mobile marketing into advertising and promotions (special offers). In 2010, US marketers spent about 2.1 times as much on mobile advertising (almost $6.3 billion) as they did on mobile promotions (about $3 billion).
By 2015, Mobitrove forecasts total US mobile marketing spend will be tilted even more in favor of advertising. Projections indicate mobile advertising spend will reach close to $41 billion, while mobile promotions spend will only total about 15.8 billion. This means marketers will spend about 2.5 times as much on mobile advertising in 2015.

Natl Mobile Ads Draw Dollars

Looking at total US mobile advertising spend in 2010, it becomes clear that last year, marketers focused the vast majority of their dollars on national campaigns. Out of roughly $6.3 billion spent in total, about $5.8 billion was allocated toward national advertising and only about $500 million on local advertising. This means roughly 92% of all mobile advertising dollars were spent at a national level.

Promotions Even More Nationally Focused

Total US mobile promotional spend in 2010 shows an even more pronounced focus on national, rather than local, campaigns. Almost $2.9 billion of $3 billion was spent on national promotions. This means about 97% of mobile promotional dollars spent in 2010 went toward national campaigns.

Oracle: 3 in 10 Consumers Make Mobile Purchases

Three in 10 (29%) US consumers have made at least one purchase via mobile device, according to a white paper from Oracle and ATG. Data from “Mobile Trends: Consumer Views of Mobile Shopping and Mobile Service Providers” indicates this figure, recorded in December 2010, is 123% more than the 13% of consumers who had made a mobile purchase in November 2009.

Most Marketers See Web Data as Very Important

May 16, 2011

About two-thirds (68%) of marketers see web data as very important to customer analytics and 63% see it as very important to making decisions about marketing offers and campaigns, according to [pdf] a study conducted in Q4 2010 by Unica. Data from “The State of Marketing 2011″ indicates a majority of remaining respondents consider both uses of web data somewhat important.

Web Data Usage More Common for Customer Analytics

A higher percentage of respondents is currently using web data for customer analytics (50%) than to make decisions about marketing offers and campaigns (41%). Only 14% of respondents have no plans to use web data for either of these purposes, with most not doing so currently planning to do so in the next 12 months.

Most See Web Data Use as ‘Somewhat’ Effective

By wide margins, the highest percentages of respondents currently using web data to perform customer analytics (57%) and make decisions about marketing offers and campaigns (65%) say they are doing so “somewhat” effectively. However, only combined respective percentages of 19% and 15% say they are doing so somewhat ineffectively or not effectively at all.

Data Disparity, Culture Top Barriers to Web Data

When asked to select the top three of 11 potential barriers to integrating online and offline data at their organization, the highest percentage (52%) of respondents said existing systems and data are too disparate, followed by organizational structure, corporate culture or internal processes not being conducive (45%).
Interestingly, North American respondents were two-thirds more likely than European respondents (60% compared to 36%) to select systems/data disparity and about 50% more likely (50% compared to 34%) to select non-conducive structure, culture or processes.

6 in 10 Marketers Perform Interactive Marketing

Six in 10 marketers perform some level of interactive marketing, according to other study data which indicates 10% perform interactive marketing across all channels and 50% perform it across some channels. Of the remaining 40% not currently performing any interactive marketing, 23% plan to start in the next 12 months and 6% plan to start more than 12 months out, while 11% have no interactive marketing plans.
About the Data: 279 online and direct marketing professionals participated in Unica’s Annual Marketing Survey. North America represents respondents from the US & Canada. Europe represents respondents from eight European countries that are large technology markets. 179 surveys were completed using the large random research panels and 100 surveys were completed from Unica-supplied sample sources of customers and prospects. Online surveys were conducted in Q4 2010.

Chart: Top 10 at Domestic Film Box Office, Weekend of May 13-15, 2011

About this chart: Content in Rentrak Theatrical box office updates is produced and/or compiled by Rentrak Corporation and its Box Office Essentials theatrical box office data collection and analytical service.

What You Think You Know vs. What You Need to Know About U.S. Hispanics And Media

April 15, 2011

Claudia Pardo, SVP Client Solutions & Charles Dreas, VP Client Solutions

There are more than 50 million Hispanics living in the United States, making them the single largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If U.S. Hispanics were a country, they would rank as the 12th largest global economy, somewhere between Mexico and Australia, commanding more than $1 trillion in purchasing power. The fact that U.S. Hispanics represent more than half (56%) of net population growth from 2000 to 2010 and are projected to contribute 100 percent of the population growth between the ages of 18-49, is game changing.

By 2050, Hispanics are projected to account for more than 30 percent of the U.S. population – a significant growth driver that marketers can no longer overlook. But the questions for many remain:

• How do I reach and successfully engage Hispanics?
• Will general market campaigns capture enough of the Hispanic demographic?
• Is online relevant?
• Should I consider mobile in my market mix?

To answer these questions, Nielsen breaks down the prevailing myths surrounding Hispanic interaction with today’s media.

Myth #1: Bilingual Hispanics don’t watch Spanish television

There is a belief that once Hispanics learn to speak English well and become bilingual, they become “acculturated” and use English as their primary language. However, acculturation is a process rather than an absolute classification whereby Hispanics adopt American customs while still guarding their culture, heritage and traditions. While 77 percent of U.S. Hispanics speak English well, according to current American Community Survey estimates, 61 percent of Hispanics aged 18+ tell Nielsen they prefer to speak Spanish in their homes versus only 17 percent who say they speak only English. Spanish language remains a core component of the Hispanic home long after English proficiency is gained. Language spoken at home rather than English ability tends to be a better indicator of TV viewing behavior.

While there is general consensus that Spanish-language-dominant homes (speak mostly or only Spanish) predominately watch Spanish-language TV, there is debate about viewing patterns in multi-language homes (where English and Spanish are spoken equally). The viewing breakdown during the 2009-2010 TV season for persons 18-49 is as follows:

• Spanish-language-dominant homes viewed 78 percent of TV in Spanish.
• Multi-language homes viewed about 50 percent Spanish-language TV.
• English-language-dominant homes (speak mostly or only English) spent only three percent of time viewing Spanish-language TV.

Digging deeper into a multi-language home reveals that English- and Spanish-dominant members primarily watch TV in their preferred language, but as expected, the time spent viewing in English and Spanish language eases towards the middle. English-dominant Hispanics in multi-language homes spend 80 percent of viewing on average in English and 20 percent in Spanish versus English-dominant-homes where the split is about 97 percent English and three percent Spanish.

The same movement toward the middle is seen with Spanish-dominant members in a multi-language home where 65 percent of viewing is in Spanish versus 77 percent for a Spanish-dominant home. Despite the variability across the different Hispanic language groups, in 2010, the top ten broadcast shows for the Hispanic demographic were all Spanish-language programs. The fact that the majority of Hispanics aged 18+ prefer to speak Spanish at home underscores the growing need for advertisers to better connect with Hispanics in the native language.

Myth #2: I can reach Hispanics through my general market campaigns; Spanish-Language advertising is an expendable part of my budget

In 2010,Nielsen reports that only 75 percent of the top 200 advertisers spent money on Spanish-language cable or broadcast, and those that did only spent about eight percent of the total advertising budget on Spanish-language TV.

For English-language television, Hispanic viewing time is dispersed over a large number of networks, while Spanish-language viewing is more concentrated. A brand advertised across all English-language national broadcast networks in primetime would only reach about 40 percent of all Hispanics aged 18-49, while a Spanish-language broadcast would reach 53 percent. However, when looking into Hispanics 18-49 who are Spanish-language dominant, the gap widens substantially. An English-language broadcast campaign in primetime only reaches 19 percent of Spanish-language dominant Hispanics versus a Spanish-language campaign that reaches 85 percent of Spanish-language dominant Hispanics over a month. That’s a difference of 5.6 million Spanish-language-dominant Hispanics 18-49 or roughly 60 percent of the demographic. A primetime English-language-focused broadcast campaign effectively leaves out Spanish-dominant Hispanics.

Besides providing access to a unique audience, Spanish-language advertising is generally more effective than English-language advertising for Hispanics. Nielsen’s advertising effectiveness studies show that advertisers who translate English ads into Spanish receive an increase in general recall among Hispanics when compared to general market English-language commercials. However, original Spanish ads (ads that do not have an English counterpart or that are based on existing ads by modifying the narrative and soundtrack) see a 15 percent general recall lift from English-dominant Hispanics and a 69 percent general recall increase from Spanish-dominant Hispanics. Two reasons for this effect are that Spanish ads create a deeper personal connection to Hispanic consumers and Hispanics are less likely to time shift Spanish-language programming.

While only 30 percent of Hispanic homes have DVRs compared with 38 percent for the general market, the format in Spanish-language television programming (i.e., daily novellas) make it less likely to be time shifted than English-language TV. As an example, during 2010, English-dominant Hispanics were twice as likely to time shift programs in English as in Spanish while Spanish-dominant Hispanics were three times more likely to do so.

Myth #3: Hispanics are late adopters of technology, so using online and mobile campaigns is unnecessary

According to Nielsen 2010 universe estimates, approximately 30 million Hispanics (62%) have access to the Internet at home. Include the number of Hispanics who have online access via work, school or in other public places and Internet penetration rises to about 88 percent. And mobile Internet access closes this gap even further, since Hispanics are more likely to have a video and Internet enabled cell phone than the general market (44% vs. 35%). While Hispanics spend 20 percent less time online than non-Hispanics, they stream twice as much video online, accounting for almost 30 percent of their online activity.

New studies are finding that Hispanics are equally, if not more involved in emerging technologies than the general market. A recent look at Nielsen’s national people meter panel reveals that Hispanics are just as likely as non-Hispanics to own an HDTV (69% vs.66%). And Nielsen’s 2010 Q4 mobile insights survey of more than 50,000 people and more than 8,000 Hispanics reveals that Hispanics are not only more likely to own a smartphone, but also they are part of the most valuable mobile consumer segments, carrying an average monthly bill that is 14 percent higher than the market average. Hispanics also lead all ethnic groups with an average of 40 percent more calls made per day and are the most likely ethnic group to use text messaging, mobile Internet and e-mail. They are also more likely to download pictures or music on mobile devices.

The Hispanic consumer represents the greatest potential for sustained growth in the U.S. today. At the current rate of expansion, Hispanics will drive population growth and, in turn, consumption in America for the next generation. Reaching Hispanics effectively should be at the top of every marketer’s to-do list. Hispanics actively embrace new technologies and platforms, while keeping close ties to their roots, especially language. And while Hispanics do consume English-language media, Spanish-language media holds the key to connecting with the greatest number of Hispanic consumers most effectively.

18% of Smartphone Subscribers Use Mobile Check-in

About 7% of US mobile phone subscribers and 18% of smartphone subscribers used location-based “check-in” services on their phones in March 2011, according to comScore MobiLens data. In total, 16.7 million mobile subscribers, including 12.7 million smartphone subscribers (76% of the total), used location-based check-in.

Android Most Popular Check-in Platform

Android accounted for the largest share of check-in service users, with about 37% checking-in from an Android device, while about 34% of users checked in from an iPhone, with Apple having the highest representation relative to its percentage of the total smartphone market (Index of 132). RIM accounted for 22% of check-in service users, while Microsoft, Palm and Symbian each accounted for less than 5%.

18-34 Year Olds Account for Nearly 60% of Check-In Service Users

Check-in service users, defined as those accessing services such as Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla, had heavy skews toward 18-24 year olds (26%) and 25-34 year olds (32.5%) in relation to both the total mobile audience and the overall smartphone audience. They were more likely to be full-time students (23.3%) when compared with total mobile (14.6%) or overall smartphone users (16.5%).
In addition, nearly half (46.4%) of check-in users were employed full time, slightly less than the percentage of smartphone users who were employed full time (53.3%). Both check-in service and smartphone users were more likely to be employed full time than overall mobile users (38.9%).

Mobile Check-In Service Users Display Propensity for Mobile Media Usage

When compared with an average smartphone owner, social networking check-in users were more likely to access mobile media across a majority of content categories. More than 95% of check-in service users used their mobile browser or applications. Nearly 62% accessed news. comScore analysis indicates check-in user behavior was also consistent with that of traditional early adopters, with 40.3% of users accessing tech news and 28.2% owning a media tablet, both significantly higher than average.
Check-in service users also showed a high propensity for accessing retail-related destinations on their mobile devices. Nearly one-third of users accessed online retail sites on their mobiles, while one-fourth accessed shopping guides. Check-in service users were also more likely to be exposed to mobile advertising, with nearly 40% recalling seeing a web or app ad during the month, compared to just 27.5% of smartphone users.

White Horse: Young Most Aware of Geolocation Apps

Young adults have the highest awareness of smartphone geolocation applications, according to a spring 2011 study from digital marketing agency White Horse. Results of “Lost in Geolocation” indicate awareness of location-based apps peaks at more than 60% among US adults age 20-29. The only other age group with an awareness level of more than 50% is teens age 14-19. Adults age 30-49 have roughly 50% awareness of location-based apps, while less than 30% of adults age 50-79 are aware these applications exist.

President Obama Proclaims National Small Business Week

                 News Release

PRESS OFFICE/LOS ANGELES                                          

 

Release Date:  May 13, 2011	Contact:  Dennis E. Byrne (202) 205-6567
Release Number: 11-30	Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

President Obama Proclaims National Small Business Week

Small Businesses Helping To Put Country Back On Track

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama hailed small business owners as the backbone of the nation’s economy in his proclamation of the week of May 15-21 as National Small Business Week. The President declared them to be the embodiment of America’s promise: “the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard enough, you can succeed in our country.”

The President’s proclamation was issued before the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 48^th annual observance of National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C.  (May 18-20).  The event honors outstanding entrepreneurs from across the country, and features announcement of the 2011 National Small Business Person of the Year, who is selected from among 54 small business award winners from 50 states, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

The President’s proclamation states: “Our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working, dedicated, and visionary patriots to make it a reality.  A successful business starts much the same way—ideas realized by entrepreneurs who dream of a better world and work until they see it through.  From the family businesses that anchor Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of America’s promise. 

“Throughout our economic recovery, persevering small businesses have helped put our country back on track.  Countless new and saved jobs have come from small businesses who took advantage of tax relief, access to capital, and other tools in the Recovery Act, the Small Business Jobs Act, and other initiatives launched by my Administration to put Americans back to work.  To ensure the stability of our recovery, we must continue to provide new opportunities for small business owners and the next generation of entrepreneurs, who will help us out-innovate and out-build our global competitors to win the future.

“To support high-growth businesses, my Administration has launched Startup America, an initiative that will strengthen access to capital and mentoring while reducing barriers to growth for small businesses.  Entrepreneurship is essential to the strength and resilience of our economy and our way of life.  Startup America will give entrepreneurs the tools they need to build their business into the next great American company.  To encourage innovation, we released the Strategy for American Innovation, a report outlining my Administration’s plan to harness ingenuity.  This means investing in the building blocks of innovation, like education and infrastructure, while promoting market-based growth through tax credits and effective intellectual property laws.        

“The National Export Initiative is working to open markets to American businesses and support small exporters, who increase American competitiveness abroad and create good jobs here at home.  We continue to create opportunity for businesses in underserved communities through new lending initiatives, expanded access to counseling and technical assistance. We are also working to provide small businesses more opportunities to compete for Federal contracts. This gives Federal agencies access to some of our country’s best products and services while helping these businesses grow and employ community members.  Through these and other initiatives, we are supporting the entrepreneurs and small businesses that provide work for half of American workers and create two out of every three new jobs.

“Small businesses embody the promise of America: that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard enough, you can succeed in our country.  This week, we honor and celebrate the individuals whose inspiration and efforts keep America strong.” 

The full text of the President’s National Small Business Week proclamation can be found at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/12/presidential-proclamation-small-business-week.

National Small Business Week 2011 will be highlighted with two-and-a-half days of events in Washington, D.C., at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where more than 100 outstanding business owners from across the country will be recognized.  In addition to the State Small Business Persons of the Year, men and women involved in disaster recovery, government contracting, small business champions as well as SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development will be honored.

Under the National Small Business Week 2011 theme of “Empowering Entrepreneurs,” featured speakers include Senator Jack Reed (D - Rhode Island); Senator Mary Landrieu (D – Louisiana); Valerie B. Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama; Steve Case, Co-Founder of AOL and Chair of Start-Up America Partnership; Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson of Radio One, and Chair of SBA’s Council on Underserved Communities; SBA Administrator Karen Mills and SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns.

A complete agenda for the event is posted at www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com. Also featured are a series of executive panel forums on Strategies for High Growth, Exporting and Social Media.  The public can “attend” Small Business Week events virtually, via the SBA’s streaming video on the Web at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/webcast.php.  

Los Angeles District Office Winners are:

Small Business Person of the Year *

Barry C. Levin

Chairman and CEO

Snak King, Corp.

City of Industry, CA

Phone: 626-363-7777

*Snak King also won California Small Business Person of the Year and is being considered for National Small Business Person of the Year

SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Paul Mazbanian

Small Business Community Lending (SBC Lending)

Glendale, CA

Environmental “Green” Conservator of the Year

Elham Ebiza

President

California Recycles

1932 Cotner Avenue

Los Angeles, CA

Phone: 310-478-3001 ext. 101

Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year

Frank Mancini

President

Southern California Chapter - ELITE SDVOB

Santa Monica, CA

Phone: 586-283-0483

Home-Based Business Champion of the Year

Derek A. Romo

General Manager

Work at Home Business Expo

Fallbrook, CA

Financial Services Champion of the Year

Antonio Zate

Regional Vice President

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Los Angeles, CA

Phone: 213-253-3325

Women in Business Champion of the Year **

Madelyn Alfano

Owner and President

Maria’s Italian Kitchen

Van Nuys, CA

Phone: 818-786-4833

Minority Small Business Champion of the Year

Dorothy C. Randle

Business Development Manager

City of Los Angeles – Mayor’s Office

U.S. Dept of Commerce – Minority Business Development Agency

Los Angeles, CA

Phone: 213-978-0817

Small Business Development Center-Service Excellence & Innovation Award

Michelle King

Director

Santa Monica College - Small Business Development Center

Santa Monica, CA

Phone: 310-434-3566

Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award**

Colleen Seto

Director

Women’s Business Center

Asian Pacific Islander Small Business WBC

Los Angeles, CA

Phone: 213-473-1605

**Women’s Business Center – API also won State and National Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award

SCORE Award

Michael Scotto

Chapter Chair

SCORE – Ventura County

Phone: 805-338-1313

Oxnard, CA