Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

One reason small business operators sign on with franchise companies is to obtain marketing support and access to proven management systems. During the recession, franchisors weren’t able to sell as many franchises because candidates couldn’t secure bank loans. But with banks beginning to fund small businesses again, franchisors are expecting a positive year for new openings which means more marketing dollars will be spent as well.

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

What are U.S. small business owners thinking about their sales, advertising, online/mobile marketing, and social networking? What do they have to do to stay at the top of their customer’s mind? Ad-ology’s Small Business Marketing Forecast answers these questions and reveals insight into how business owners can tackle these challenging markets. C. Lee Smith, PresidentRead the Rest…

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Auto Service Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months: The weak economy is affecting the way owners care for their vehicles. Thirty-four percent of car owners say they feel the need to takeRead the Rest…

As consumers shift from holiday mode into the month of January, a new survey from the Barna Group explores what Americans describe as their New Year’s resolutions. More than 90 million adults (41%) say they will make such personal pledges in 2011, representing roughly two-fifths of the nation’s population. When it comes to the types of resolutions people make, Americans not surprisingly focus on self-oriented changes. Among those planning to make resolutions, the top pledges for 2011 relate to weight, diet and health (30%); money, debt and finances (15%); personal improvement (13%); addiction (12%); job and career (5%); spiritual or church-related (5%); and educational (4%). Personal improvement responses included being a better person; giving more; having more personal or leisure time; organizing their life or home; and having a better life in general. Churches and faith communities have a significant opportunity to help people identify what makes for transformational change and how to best achieve those objectives – especially by relying on goals and resources beyond their individualism, according to David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group.

The Radial Group’s new 2011 Health and Wellness Trend Report identifies some of the top healthcare trends predicted for the new year. According to Leslie Nolen, president of The Radial Group, “Self-care, DIY healthcare trends, back-to-basics fitness and Lifestyle Change 2.0 trends” will put consumers back in control of their own health and wellness in 2011. Some of the key healthcare trends anticipated for 2011 include the evolution of health recommendations into mandates; the emergence of a back to basics mentality that will emphasize simplicity and self-reliance over complexity; as well as a more comprehensive “Lifestyle Change 2.0″ approach that will offer solutions that solve consumer problems by integrating all the tools of health and wellness: fitness, nutrition, mind-body practices, and conventional, complementary and alternative medicine.