Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

July 29 2010 | Kathy Crosett

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.

July 29 2010 | Kathy Crosett

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.

July 28 2010 | Shannon Bryant

Two in three Baby Boomer women (65%) prefer to purchase apparel online because they dislike the service they receive in department stores and 13% only buy their clothes online in order to avoid the in-person hassle, according to Vibrant Nation. More than eight in 10 (84%) find sales staff are indifferent, inexperienced, invisible, and “outright rude.” An additional 32% claim an “age bias,” pointing out that younger sales associates ignore older consumers.

July 28 2010 | Kathy Crosett

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.

July 28 2010 | Jessica Helinski

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

* Seniors aged 65 and older and Americans aged 25 to 34 years old-rank security as the most important factor when selecting where to park.
* More builders are seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. “Green” efforts include turning concrete rooftops into green surfaces to reduce storm-water runoff.
* Pay-on-foot kiosks and signs that alert drivers to open spaces are just two examples of new technologies emerging in the industry.

July 28 2010 | Kathy Crosett

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.