Shirl Kennedy of The Resource Shelf’s Niche Information mentioned The Food Timeline today. I went to check it out and found it fascinating. (read: I spent way too long playing with it!)
Ever wonder what foods the Vikings ate when they set off to explore the new world? How Thomas Jefferson made his ice cream? What the pioneers cooked along the Oregon Trail? Who invented the potato chip,and why?
You will find a plethora of popular lore and contradictory facts. Timeline? Well, it’s not perfect since foods evolve over time, but this is a very fun and interesting research site.
According to today’s EPM email, 27% of mothers say nutritional content is their top consideration when buying groceries for their children; the kids preferences are the top consideration for 22%. (They credit pasta manufacturer Ronzoni for the data.)
As a marketer, I find it fascinating because children have long been considered the main influencer for moms. We do a lot of work relating to healthy eating and health trends, as well. So while we are not surprised that nutritional content is important, the trends are going to be worth watching!
If you haven’t read of Groundswell yet, we recommend you consider it. Full of great stats (you know we love stats) and case studies, this practical book will help you think more deeply about what you’re strategizing, considering, and already doing in the social media space.
The social media phenomenon appears to be reaching a tipping point. Recent studies have shown Boomers embracing these new forms of communication almost as fervently as the generation that followed them. And with the adoption of blogs, forums, user generated content, Facebook, and MySpace (to name a few) by large segments of society, business can no longer afford to ignore the conversations that are taking place around them.
Groundswell, written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research, is a terrific resource about these technologies and tools in the context of reality. The authors have provided an excellent guide to understanding what these technologies are, how there use varies among different demographic segments, and how business can change strategies to benefit. The book includes useful case studies that demonstrate how companies have reacted to this change in the customer- business relationship.
Our only critique is that the book becomes somewhat repetitive as it presents case studies that do not differ from each other in a large extent, but frankly, we find that in most business and strategy books.
In the name of full disclosure, we were fortunate to receive a review copy of the book. (We did buy one also as a gift for a colleague.)
Definitely take the time to check out their blog. They have a free profile tool that is really interesting!
Seems that daytime seat belt use has improved dramatically over the years. But research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that nighttime belt use has not seen risen to the same levels.
So they’re back on with their annual Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign.
We’re always excited when research is actionable and leads strategy – so we’re happy to tell you that the new campaign focuses on nighttime belt use when the odds of being killed in a motor vehicle crash are three times greater.
“Seat belt use among young drivers and occupants is not what it should be, especially at night when the risk of dying in a crash triples,” Administrator Nason said. “Clearly, we need to do more to make people of all ages understand that—whether traveling by car, SUV or truck—a seat belt is the best way to stay alive, day or night.”
Nighttime seat belt use is often much lower than the nationwide average of 82 percent daytime belt use, according to NHTSA research. The consequences of not buckling up are even more tragic among young passenger vehicle occupants. Of the 2,926 16- to 20-year-old passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2006, 68 percent were unrestrained. During the daytime 57 percent of the 16- to 20-year-old occupants killed were not wearing seat belts.
…The campaign is supported by a $7.5 million national and state advertising campaign. Ads produced by NHTSA in English and Spanish will run across a wide range of highly targeted media, including print, radio, and television.
“Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing,” said Nason. “But the cost for not wearing one certainly will. So, don’t risk it with a ticket or worse, your life. Please remember to buckle up day and night.”
Research helps direct marketing strategy. We love it.
Researchers are now saying what good sales people (and con artists) have known all along — that rapport between people “is highly dependent on mimicry,” reports Benedict Carey in The New York Times (2/12/08). In one recent experiment by Rick van Baaren of Nijmegen University, a “research team mimicked half the participants while they spoke, roughly mirroring the posture and the position of their arms and legs, taking care not to be too obvious.” A few minutes later, the researcher “dropped six pens on the floor, making it look like an accident.
A reader asks: For a strategy meeting, I want to find the top retail chains. I think I have a great idea how to market my client’s product, but need to compile a list of partners to consider. What criteria should I use and how can I make a list?
The National Retail Federation compiles an annual list of the hottest retailers. You can check it out here. It show where the headquarters are, 2 years of revenue (and the change), 2 years of earnings (and the change) and 2 years of units (and the change). Looks like a great start!
