http://www.marketingforecast.com Fast Forward Findings for Strategic Advertising+Marketing Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:30:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6519 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6519#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:04:47 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6519 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6519/feed 0 Tight household budgets might have consumers cutting back on entertainment. But NASCAR fans appear to be motivated by ticket price discounts. And when the incentive for obtaining these discounted tickets is combined with the required purchase of their favorite CPGs, the marketing campaign can turn into a win for all vendors. Late last year, NASCAR ran a test promotion combining the efforts of local speedways, grocers and CPG vendors. This spring, a larger program proved highly successful in Texas so NASCAR is looking to expand on its success. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6386 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6386#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:00:48 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6386 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6386/feed 0 Marketers who want to connect with consumers emotionally often use event sponsorship. Summer can be a particularly important time to invest in event marketing as more consumers are outside, enjoying the weather and attending a local concert or baseball game. Some events definitely attract larger crowds so marketers should strategically select which event to sponsor. In addition, marketers can use a number of ways to lengthen their association with a specific event and boost brand awareness. These topics were addressed by a recent Scarborough Research release and webinar. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6259 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6259#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:52 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6259 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6259/feed 0 Marketers continue to turn to new channels to promote their products and services. One rapidly growing channel in the past 2 decades has been entertainment marketing spending. This group broadly includes event sponsorships and marketing and paid product placement. The channel generated $24.63 billion in 2009, a figure which represented a small drop (1.3%) from the previous year. However, PQ Media analysts expect growth to resume in 2010. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6226 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6226#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:00:53 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6226 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6226/feed 0 Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Bars and Nightclubs. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months: http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6137 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6137#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:05:00 +0000 Jessica Helinski http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6137 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6137/feed 0 Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Bowling Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months: * One of the biggest opportunities for growth is considered to be partnering with high schools. More high schools are not only offering bowling as physical fitness and elective classes, but also adding varsity bowing teams. There was a 3% increase in high school bowling team/club participation in 2009. * There's a growing opportunity for bowling "lounges," which cater to the 21-40-year-old demographic. These sophisticated lounges are typically set in urban areas and offer upscale menus, music, bars, high-tech audio and visual systems, and party areas. * The number of certified bowling league members has declined by an average of 3% annually in the last decade. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5994 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5994#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:00:08 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=5994 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5994/feed 0 Consumer interest in mobile apps remains huge. Nielsenwire analysts note that the sales of smart phones are projected to overtake the sales of traditional mobile phones in the near future. As they do, consumers will continue to download apps. This trend presents an opportunity for app developers. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6057 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6057#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:38:38 +0000 Jessica Helinski http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6057 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6057/feed 0 Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Family Entertainment Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months: * After falling from their peak of 10,000 in the 1980s, the number of arcades has risen to approximately 5,000 across the country. Industry professionals believe part of the fueled popularity is due to members of Generations X and Y introducing their children to games they used to play, such as Pac-Man and Tron. * Many family entertainment centers are adding private-party areas to attract those celebrating birthdays and other events. In particular, "tween" and teen parties are increasingly in demand, during which traditional games are replaced with go-karts and other activities geared toward older consumers. For some locations, these types of parties account for 30% of birthday-party business. * An emerging trend is adding live events to family entertainment centers (FEC). More of these businesses are showcasing family-friendly DJs or live music, which they believe not only encourages repeat visitors but also attracts consumers that might not normally visit an FEC. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5903 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5903#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:00:15 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=5903 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5903/feed 0 Few people will argue that consumers are spending more time than ever engaged with media. The total media time for consumers, on average, has reached 3,532 hours, annually. And as the hours have increased, the types of media used by many consumers have changed. But Veronis Suhler Stevenson analysts believe many companies in the media industry have not kept up with the pace of these changes. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5899 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5899#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:00:52 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=5899 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5899/feed 0 As consumers spend more time online and interacting with their friends through social networks, a related industry is growing quickly and generating revenue for savvy marketers. It’s all about virtual goods. When consumers are playing online games or posting updates to their personal pages, they present a ready market. Operators such as Zynga are selling real-world pre-paid game cards that players can use to customize their online places. And then there’s always the option to buy an e-birthday greeting or e-flowers for friends. Analysts note that this industry was worth $1.6 billion in 2009. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5853 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5853#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:00:10 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=5853 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/5853/feed 0 With more consumers of all ages turning to smart phones for information, communication and entertainment, video game console manufacturers and retailers have good reason to wonder where their market is headed. For nearly a decade, the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 have commanded impressive market share. And then the Wii came along and captured huge interest from the younger boy and young women demographic groups.