Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

As grocery stores prepare their marketing strategies for the upcoming year, they’ll be targeting consumers who are still worried about the economy but want to eat healthy foods. Grocers are also dealing with a group of consumers who do not enjoy shopping (49%) and believe food is too expensive (65%). Synovate, a research concern, points out that grocers should pay close attention to consumer attitudes about shopping in order to improve the outcomes of their marketing campaigns.

After a decade or more of marketing exclusivity and premiums brands, manufacturers are getting a new image of the U.S. consumers and it’s allabout basic brands. Stuart Elliott, in his weekly Advertising column for the New York Times, highlights how marketers are shifting their budgets to the products people are turning back to – ‘old standbys’. Even consumers who may have rarely cooked before are discovering the savings in the basic casserole.

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.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Candy Stores.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween this year. Nearly one in three (29.6%) consumers say the state of the U.S. economy will impact their Halloween spending plans. According to analysts, 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.

As restaurants continue to search for ways to increase traffic during the recession, they are trying a variety of strategies. In the past couple of months I have highlighted reports that noted the growing healthy menu trends as well as improved offerings on the kids’ menus. Now it seems that restaurants are trying to lure customers with extended ‘happy hours’.