As marketers plan their ad budgets for the next six months, they might want to consider the results of the most recent poll released by Harris Interactive. Despite the glimmer of good news from recent stock markets gains, a leading indicator, consumers remain concerned about employment prospects. These concerns are revealed in the way consumers plan to handle their cash from now through Spring 2010.

Here are two top statistics from the survey:

• Percentage of consumers who plan to decrease spending on restaurants: 67%
• Percentage of consumers who place to decrease spending on entertainment: 67%

The cautious behavior extends to large ticket items as well, with the following percentages of consumers calling these expenditures Not Likely:

• New computer purchase 81%
• Move to a new residence 86%
• Buy/lease a new car 90%
• Buy a boat or RV 96%

Given these statistics, marketers will probably continue to develop value campaigns to lure budget-conscious consumers.

[Source: Harris Interactive release, 9.23.09]

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween, down from $66.54 in 2008. Total spending on the holiday is expected to reach $4.75 billion.

Nearly one in three (29.6%) consumers say the state of the U.S. economy will impact their Halloween spending plans. Of those who will be affected, the largest majority (88.0%) plan to spend less overall. Others say they will be buying less candy (46.5%), using last year’s decorations without buying new ones (35.4%), making costumes instead of purchasing them (16.8%), reusing last year’s costumes (15.8%), and not participating in as many Halloween activities such as haunted houses or fall festivals (26.4%).

“The economy has caught up to Halloween this year,” said Tracy Mullin, President and CEO, National Retail Federation. “Since retailers know that Americans will be looking to celebrate on a budget, there’s no doubt we will see creative costume and decorating ideas in every price point imaginable.”

As more evidence of just how pervasive the effect of the recession has been, fewer people plan to celebrate Halloween this year (62.1% vs. 64.5% last year), and those who are celebrating will participate in fewer activities. According to the survey, one-third (33.4%) will dress in costume, compared to 35.3 percent last year. The number of people carving a pumpkin will also drop (42.4% compared to 44.6% last year). Additionally, fewer people will throw or attend a party (30.2% vs. 31.1% in 2008), visit a haunted house (17.0% vs. 18.1% in 2008) and hand out candy (71.2% vs. 73.7% last year). Even with the advent of life-sized yard decorations, which have become immensely popular in recent years, fewer people plan to decorate their home or yard (47.3% vs. 50.3%).

Young adults, who were last year’s big spenders for Halloween, plan to scale back dramatically this year. According to the survey, the average 18-24 year-old will spend $68.56 on the holiday, compared to $86.59 last year and $81.91 in 2007.

“With part-time jobs more scarce and parents unable to help out financially, many young adults have been impacted substantially by the economy,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “The overriding theme for Americans’ Halloween celebrations this year will be, ‘How creative can I be, and how little can I spend?’”

The survey found consumers plan to spend an average of $20.75 on costumes, which includes children’s and pets’ costumes, $17.99 on candy, $14.54 on decorations and $3.02 on greeting cards.

“2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,” conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation (NRF), September 29, 2009.  Website: www.nrf.com.

Although everyone is allotted 24 hours in a day, there are considerable differences in how men and women in varying age groups spend their leisure time. Most notably, American men have nearly 40 minutes more leisure time than women per day. However, it’s important to note men generally have more broadly-defined leisure activities than women. For instance, American men shop for 43 minutes per day, while women shop for 59 minutes, according to the OECD, yet it’s possible that some of this shopping time has a leisure component and thus women categorize it entirely as a leisure time activity.

Taking It Outdoors

Nevertheless, both men and women place high importance on spending their leisure time outdoors, and both admit they don’t get out enough. Women, on average, want to spend seven more hours outdoors every week, while men hope for nine more hours, according to Timex Expedition’s Outdoor Survey.

“It’s extremely common for people to consider themselves “outdoorsy,” but it means different things to different people,” says Timex’s Pia Baker. “Some consider hunting outdoorsy, while others say taking a walk around the block [fits the description].”

Sports and fitness is increasingly a key component of Americans’ leisure time. To that end, women are more likely than men to run or jog (86% vs. 79%), walk (34% vs. 16%), and, perhaps surprisingly, lift weights (45% vs. 36%), according to Active Marketing Group’s Kristin Carroll. Males tend to focus on triathlon, cycling, mountain biking, and golf, whereas swimming, hiking and skiing show similar participation levels for both genders, she says.

Age Effects Leisure Time Activities

Leisure activities also are affected by age, or perhaps more accurately, a woman’s life stage. Young adults aged 18-24 spend most of their free time on the computer (five hours per day) and socializing with friends (four hours per day).

Women aged 25-34 spend five hours per day caring for children, three hours watching TV, and less than two hours per day outdoors. “Young parents tend to see their outdoor time as social, [such as] picnicking or playing in the park,” says Baker. Even their outdoor fitness routines take a backseat to family priorities. “Mothers who are committed to fitness still incorporate it into their lifestyle, but their focus on the family becomes their primary driver. [For example], instead of yoga or running a 3-5K [roadrace], she will take her kids to soccer games or coach her kids’ team,” says Carroll.

Boomers of both genders, conversely, spend five hours per day watching TV and less than one hour outdoors. When they do venture outside, they tend to prefer more sedate activities, such as gardening and even just sitting outside on a porch.

Source: Research Alert, EPM Communications, Inc., New York, NY.  Phone: 212-941-0099. Website: www.epmcom.com.

Active Marketing Group, Kristin Carroll, VP Client Service and Strategy, 10182 Telesis Court, San Diego, CA 92121.  Phone: 858-964-3801.  Website:  www.activemarketinggroup.com.

Timex Expedition Outdoor Survey, Timex, Pia Baker, Brand Director, P.O. Box 310, 555 Christian Rd., Middlebury, CT 06762.  Phone: 203-346-5000.  Email: pbaker@timex.com. Website: www.timex.com.

During a recent roundtable discussion by several large marketers who considered the future of sports sponsorship, one detail became clear: sports sponsorship will remain a key component of the broader marketing effort of many firms. What is less clear is how these programs will change as a result of the recession.

Several participants remarked that the focus on ROI (return on investment), which is being applied heavily to traditional and online campaigns, is being mentioned more and more frequently in the sports sponsorship arena. Bill Glenn (The Marketing Arm) noted, “[m]easurement has moved well beyond awareness and our clients are looking at purchase consideration, purchase intent, purchase and use,” with respect to consumers.  However, ROI measurement varies widely by type of sports sponsorship and industry. The difficulty of accurately measuring ROI in sports sponsorship lead 72% of surveyed executives to say that it is not possible to build consensus around a standard formula.However, participants also suggested that marketers will be looking intently at their expenditures and will develop their own metrics.

Meanwhile, the recession has definitely impacted key players in the sports sponsorship universe. Companies that recently decreased their TV advertising during sports events include AT&T Mobility, Toyota and Chevrolet.  And as sports properties search for new sponsors they should keep in mind that nearly 2/3’s of industry professionals believe financial services will bounce back the fastest while 20% predicted automotive will come back most quickly with sponsorship dollars. Regardless of who steps forward to fund a property, sports teams and representatives must be prepared to show flexibility and a willingness to develop metrics that make sense.

[Source: Changes made, changes to come, Sports Business Journal, 9.28.09]