Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Timeshare, Resorts and Condominiums. The following are the predicted Top 5 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

• More places are offering points, which allows vacationers to be more flexible with their vacation days.
• Some resorts are “going green” to save energy, as well as to appeal to eco-conscious vacationers.
• Retiring Baby Boomers are poised to be a very lucrative market.
• Many Americans are choosing not to take their vacation days.
• Weaker demand is causing the average prices of timeshares to drop.

The Industry Marketing Insights report for Timeshare, Resorts and Condominiums is available on Ad-ology.com (Research Store) for $195 USD with local market data for any U.S. market.

[Source: Ad-ology Research. March 4, 2010]

Licensing continues to be a marketing workhorse for many companies. Retailers typically purchase licensed products from a wholesaler which may already have an agreement in place with the licensing company. As sales occur, the licensing company gets both an upfront royalty and an ongoing percentage of sales, not unlike a business franchise. Products that displayed or represented licensed characters or ‘entertainment properties’ generated $11.12 billion in 2009 sales.  The king of licensing revenues, Disney, controlled nearly half of these revenues.

However the licensed merchandise market extends beyond characters and into several other entertainment-related industries when it came to 2009 retail sales:

• Celebrities $4.65 (billion)
• Entertainment $11.12
• Estates $2.25
• Music $2.15
• Publishing $4.3
• Traditional Toys/Games $1.25
• Video games $450 million

Between 2008 and 2009, sales in every category dropped according to The Licensing Letter (TLL).  It’s too soon to tell how 2010 will play out but analysts note that merchandising opportunities for new feature film properties remain low because retailers and manufacturers do not want to invest in non-proven entities.  TLL analysts believe growth in the market will come from film sequels and TV series that have lasted at least two years.

Proof of this trend is found in the licensing program launched by Disney as its new movie Alice in Wonderland is set to open in theaters across the country.  Many believe the Disney brand is powerful enough to ensure success even if the characters in Alice in Wonderland have remained relatively obscure until now. So, well-known retailers such as Sephora and Bloomingdale’s will sell licensed jewelry, apparel and novelties connected to the movie’s characters.

[Sources: Proven Properties Dominate Entertainment Licensing in ’09, Entertainment Marketing Letter 2.15.10; Disney Launches Designer Alice in Wonderland, Company Release, Licensing.org, 1.28.10]

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Home Inspection Services. The following are the predicted Top 5 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

• Senior citizens are encouraged to get a home inspection to prevent any safety issues.
• Some businesses are offering free consulting classes for first-time home buyers and sellers.
• More businesses are going online, allowing customers to access their inspection reports via the Internet.
• The rapid growth of the industry led to an increase in inexperienced and unqualified inspectors.
• The housing market is experiencing a downturn, which is a big challenge to this industry.

The Industry Marketing Insights report for Home Inspection Services is available on Ad-ology.com (Research Store) for $195 USD with local market data for any U.S. market.

[Source: Ad-ology Research. February 3, 2010.]

When the real estate market started its steep plunge in 2007 and 2008, the ad market for this sector dropped as well.  A recently published report by Borrell Associates points to a 20% decrease in real estate marketing during 2009 which brought total spending from $24.4 billion to $19.6 billion. But the outlook for 2010 is improving in the category. Analysts at Borrell are looking for a 3% rise in spending.

Here is where Borrell expects to see changes:

• Online marketing for real estate increased last year and will continue to gain market share in 2010.
• Government agencies and banks will up their placements in local newspapers to sell distressed properties.
• Realtors and other sellers will move into more use of one-to-one marketing techniques such as e-mails, thus bypassing local media properties.
• Marketers will use more online video to tout features of properties that are available.

While Borrell analysts acknowledge that the general slowdown in the real estate sector may endure for up to 5 more years – based on unemployment figures and high delinquency rates in current mortgages – they also expect that some of the marketing changes they are seeing will be permanent.

[Source: Research and Markets release, January 22, 2010]