the feed

DECEMBER 19, 2011
WHAT'S RED AND GREEN AND SOMETIMES BLUE?
Every year, right on schedule, it’s the holiday season. Lots of food, miles of lights, little work and big ideas. While long-standing traditions hold fast to solid ground, all the latest trends find their spot amongst the hustle and bustle.
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DECEMBER 14, 2011
SHOPPING CENTERS GO OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Talk about a double whammy. Box retailers are being hit from both ends — a tough economy and the boom of online retail shopping.
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NOVEMBER 28, 2011
DINING FOR THE HEALTH OF IT.
Healthy eating is elementary. Today’s consumers are looking for healthy choices that are also locally grown, produced in a sustainable fashion and are attainable far beyond the here-and-there health food stores.
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NOVEMBER 21, 2011
PUT SOME SKIN IN THE GAME.
Skin: It’s the human body’s largest organ.
The industry is covered up with daily advances. Combine that with the introduction of new bacteria into our environment every day and the continued growth of skin cancer issues and it’s clear that the world of skin care is getting bigger every day.
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NOVEMBER 14, 2011
TODAY'S INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY MUST INLCUDE THE F-FACTOR.
Consumers’ interest in eco-friendly goods and services revolves in many directions — but at the center of it all is solar energy.
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NOVEMBER 7, 2011
REVOLVING AROUND THE SUN.
Consumers’ interest in eco-friendly goods and services revolves in many directions — but at the center of it all is solar energy.
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OCTOBER 31, 2011
WHEN FAKE WORKS.
The antidote to authenticity, many consumers will actually enjoy goods, products and experiences that are shamelessly unnatural, whether for reasons of convenience, security or just pure pleasure.
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OCTOBER 24, 2011
EXPECT ‘GREEN’ TO GET GREATER.
The need for more environmentally sustainable societies and economies is clear, but are consumers finding the ‘green’ a satisfying choice?
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OCTOBER 17, 2011
‘TRADING IN’ IS THE NEW BUYING. Bye bye, old model of consumption. Recommerce is here.
And it’s affecting the initial purchase decisions for consumers as well as their decisions once it’s time to move on: Just as they do when buying a car or a home, consumers are factoring in an item’s resale value into the cost of ownership for an ever-wider range of purchases.
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OCTOBER 10, 2011
THINK PINK. (And be sure to make it in every other color she likes, too.)
Women are responsible for 85 percent of all consumer purchases, make 92 percent of all vacation purchases, 93 percent of all food purchases and women hold 89 percent of all bank accounts in the United States.
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OCTOBER 3, 2011
LIVING THE LIVE.
So long 27 seconds ago — Today’s consumers want the now, the immediate the exclusivity, the spontaneity, the live.
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SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
MAKE IT MINE.
Humans forever fantasize about being in control and about shaping their own destiny. Our digital world is making it easier than ever for people to be able form expectations and make them happen.
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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
PRICE TAG PANDEMONIUM.
While consumers have always looked out for special offers and discounts, new technologies and services mean that 2011 will see total price pandemonium.
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SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
PLUG INTO ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY.
Today’s companies are latching on to new ideas finding ways to bring their own energy savings — and production — into their daily practices.
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SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
TEACHABLE MOMENTS TAKE A FRONT ROW SEAT.
Great riches accrue to those with the best ideas and knowledge bestows status, or so says the trend toward ever-educating and gleaning know-how from the most unusual places.
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AUGUST 29, 2011
THE RATING GAME.
The expectation economy wants to see how every purchase ranks before buying.
The consumer arena is now inhabited by experienced, well-informed consumers with a long list of high expectations that they apply to each and every good, service and experience.
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AUGUST 22, 2011
FAREWELL TRADITION?
Thinking outside the box and coloring outside the lines.
The traditional distinctions between producers and consumers, actors and audience are increasingly blurred as brands join with other brands, consumers join with other consumers, and everything in between.
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AUGUST 15, 2011
WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN RENT?
Fractional ownership makes a come-back.
Is access better than ownership? For many consumers, the appeal is obvious: Traditional ownership implies a certain level of responsibility, cost and commitment.
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AUGUST 8, 2011
HOME SWEET HOME.
Food consumers are feeling the local love. 
Consumers are increasingly seeking out authentic, storied, eco-friendly products – made and consumed locally.
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AUGUST 1, 2011
STATUS STORIES.
Let’s give ‘em something to talk about.  
As experiences and non-consumption-related expenditures take over from more tangible status symbols, consumers will increasingly have to tell each other stories to achieve a status dividend from their purchases.
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JULY 25, 2011
PUSHING THE ENVELOPE WITH TODAY'S CONSUMERS. 
Experienced, urban, hyperconsumers are able to handle more daring innovations, more quirky flavors and more risqué experiences.
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JULY 18, 2011
BABY BOOMERS STILL HAVE IT. 
It’s a booming business. With aging being one of the defining macro trends of our times, you can’t go wrong in 2011 catering to aging consumers around the world.
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JULY 11, 2011
FRIEND. FOLLOW. LIKE. RETWEET.
Repeat throughout the stratosphere.
Given the ability to share, consumers are jumping into their roles as curators - compiling, remixing, commenting on, sharing and recommending content both to their friends and wider audiences in return for the status boost that comes from being a consumer connoisseur.
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JULY 5, 2011
WHAT'S NEW, CHIC AND GREEN ALL OVER?
Sustainable design is eco-chic. For today’s consumer’s, chic, luxury, desirable and green is an enduring, winning combination.
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JUNE 20, 2011
POP GOES THE MUST HAVES.
‘Pop-up’ marketing scores highly with experience-loving consumers who are charmed by the element of surprise, urgency, and must-have/must-see to shopping, dining, entertaining, lodging, exhibiting and so on.
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JUNE 13, 2011
G IS FOR 'GENEROSITY' WITH GENERATION G.
A trend toward giving: Consumers are embracing opportunities to support a cause with their purchases.
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MAY 2011
PLAYSUMERS
As consumers increasingly seek out novel and exciting goods, products and experiences, brands can use games to inject a sense of fun into their products!
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NOVEMBER 2010
NOWINSM
The power of all things 'NOW' can be traced back to the eternal lure of instant gratification.
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