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/6578 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6578#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:30:11 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6578 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6578/feed 0 Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Accounting Services. 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/6586 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6586#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:00:45 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6586 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6586/feed 0 Earlier this month, I blogged about a MetLife report that discussed how small and medium size businesses can compete for employees by improving their benefits packages. A new study on the topic of vision benefits indicates that more insurance companies and brokers will be promoting this specialty package to employers of all sizes, as well. The report comes at a time when more employees, especially those over age 45, are reaching for corrective lenses to see what’s on the computer screen. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6582 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6582#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:00:33 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6582 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6582/feed 0 Back-to-school season is right around the corner. But this year, consumers under the age of 21 might not be the only ones working on their reading, writing and math skills. The latest American Management Association survey finds that businesses require excellence in basic skills along with other competencies that fewer employees seem to have these days. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6528 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6528#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:40 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6528 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6528/feed 0 Between 2004 and 2009, the U.S. prescription pharmaceutical market witnessed annual growth rates that averaged 5.2%. Looking ahead, IMS Health expects the growth rate for 2010 to come in somewhere between 3% and 5%. The long range forecast contains a bit more upside. Forecasters are projecting annual growth rates in the range of 3-6% in the U.S. market. By comparison, annual growth rates of 12-15% are expected in the emerging countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6524 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6524#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:00:56 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6524 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6524/feed 0 During the recession, home sales slowed significantly. At the same time, homeowners put the brakes on remodeling expenditures. High-end kitchen and bathroom remodeling went out of style, especially since homeowners were afraid they wouldn’t recoup any of their investment in the stalled housing market. Expenditures that did take place during the recessing were largely related to replacement of worn out items or energy efficiency improvements. 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/6512 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6512#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:09:41 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6512 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6512/feed 0 Most major cities, especially those with convention centers, maintain a visitor’s bureau. Often, these organizations are called destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Historically, DMOs have spent a large portion of their operating budgets advertising to attract both business and leisure travelers to their region. But recent budget pressures have caused some changes in the way DMOs reach out to potential clients. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6505 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6505#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:00:32 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6505 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6505/feed 0 Small business owners have been hit especially hard by the recession. The combined effects of the credit crunch and the drop in business activity has made it difficult for SMBs to compete, especially for top talent. On top of that, many SMBs cannot afford to offer the kinds of employee benefits that their larger counterparts, companies with 500+ employees, do. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6500 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6500#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:00:07 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6500 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6500/feed 0 Consumers born between 1946 and 1964 comprise a group of 78 million strong. But Baby Boomers, all well past the age of 35, are not exactly the sweet spot as far as most marketers are concerned. The lopsided distribution of ad dollars by age group in the U.S. was the topic of a recent Nielsenwire blogpost. http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6487 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6487#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:00:53 +0000 Kathy Crosett http://www.marketingforecast.com/?p=6487 http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/6487/feed 0 Last week I blogged on the expected boom in mobile ad spending. The Internet Advertising Bureau, earlier this year, projected a 2010 spending level of $593 million for mobile media with total spending in 2013 to reach $1.450 billion. But who exactly is buying mobile ads? Millennial Media’s State of the Industry survey attempts to answer this question. Their findings offer insight into the world of mobile advertising from an ad network operator’s perspective.