Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Back-to-school shoppers remain cautious, and as in years past, will be motivated by value. According to NRF’s 2011 Back-to-School survey, families with children in grades K-12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, within a few dollars of last year’s $606.40 average. Total spending on grades K-12 is expected to reach $22.8 billion.

The vast majority of consumers (95%) are planning to use some sort of money saving technique when back-to-school shopping, and they plan to start shopping later in 2011 than they did in 2010, according to new research by PriceGrabber/Experian. The shift to a later launch of back-to-school shopping can be attributed in part to the overwhelming number of consumers indicating that they will use the Internet, which allows shoppers to compare prices and take advantage of last-minute discounts.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Child Day Care Services. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Special Education Schools. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

* The number of students requiring special education services has grown steadily in recent years because of improvements that have allowed learning disabilities to be diagnosed at earlier ages.
* For students who have difficulty attending traditional schools, some families are turning to virtual special education classes. Flexible schedules, personal attention and the comfort of home are just a few of the benefits of virtual education that are attracting families.
* The costs of special education are on the rise, due in part to increased demand, aid cutbacks and higher program costs.

It may be a businessman preparing to take up a yearlong appointment in China. Or it may be an upper level CIA officer who needs to brush up on her Arabic as part of her job requirement. But one thing is certain. More Americans believe that foreign language proficiency is critical for the U.S. to excel in the new global economy. As a result, demand for language training will rise.

Budget cuts have been particularly hard for many high school sports teams during the recession. Even the door-to-door fund-raising campaigns and additional fees paid by players aren’t always enough to support a football or hockey team for an entire season. This financial situation opens a new opportunity for marketers who want to form a connection with local consumers.