Research

The report found that “local digerati”—those that used internet and mobile apps for local news and community events and feel social networking is important for local information—number nearly 30 million strong in the U.S. While 11% of adults across the U.S. can be pegged as local digerati, Boston (15%), Denver (15%), Orlando (14%), Philadelphia (14%) and Washington, D.C. (14%) boast the top markets for these consumers. In the City of Brotherly Love, 51% of local digerati have visited a local broadcast TV website in the past week—the highest of any market.

Chase found that 83% of US millennials had made an impulse purchase. This was especially likely on payday or when millennials were cruising shopping websites online. In those instances, their urge to purchase items on impulse alone exceeded that of other age groups.

Public’s Policy Priorities for 2015As views of the economy improve and terrorist threats persist, the public’s policy priorities have changed: For the first time in five years, as many Americans cite defending the U.S. against terrorism (76%) as a top policy priority  as say that about strengthening the nation’s economy (75%).

Consumers have a multitude of options when it comes to content, which means advertisers have myriad ways to reach them. So it stands to reason that connecting with consumers would be a veritable cakewalk. But as any marketer will attest, it’s not that simple, especially with respect to Millennials, a segment that advertisers are eager to reach. Not only can these viewers can flip through 180+ channels during commercial breaks, they can multi-task on multiple screens and live Tweet their reactions and opinions in the blink of an eye. So with so many distractions, the odds seem stacked against advertisers hoping to connect amid the whirlwind.

There has been considerable commentary about whether internet use in general and social media use in particular are related to higher levels of stress.   Such analysts often suggest that it is the heaviest users of these technologies that are most at risk. Critics fear that these technologies take over people’s lives, creating time pressures that put people at risk for the negative physical and psychological health effects that can result from stress.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies can realize significant gains in cross-channel growth through digital collaboration with retailers and distributors and better internal integration a new Accenture research study shows.

The digitization of everything is changing how businesses design services and products for customers, according to a new report by Accenture.

A new survey from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) found that compared to the rest of the population, Hispanics are working harder to secure their financial futures. In every way measured in this research, Hispanics are more invested in their own financial future than the general population.

Females appear to be the driving force behind these attitudes with 62.1 percent optimistic about business conditions (53 percent for males), and 56.4 percent of females are optimistic about the economic conditions of the country over the next five years (48.9 percent for males).

In the study, GfK MRI divided women in the Millennial generation into two age groups – ages 20 to 24 and 25 to 37 – and found that the cohorts often have very different attitudes and behaviors when it comes to fashion. These disparities could impact the way advertisers and agencies in fashion approach Millennials.

In a new survey conducted in September 2014, the Pew Research Center finds that Facebook remains by far the most popular social media site. While its growth has slowed, the level of user engagement with the platform has increased. Other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn saw significant increases over the past year in the proportion of online adults who now use their sites.

The number of mobile phone users in Latin America is growing at an increasingly slower pace. eMarketer estimates the number of individuals of any age who owned at least one mobile phone and used it at least once per month inched up a mere 4.2% in 2014 to reach 395.5 million. Roughly one-third of those users lived in Brazil, with an additional 78.2 million in Mexico. Colombia (31.7 million) came in third, ahead of Argentina’s 30.0 million users during the same period.

Desktops’ smaller-screen counterparts—laptops—saw a tiny decline in usage, as did smartphones, somewhat surprising considering their ever-growing relevance in consumers’ day-to-day lives. However, the reason for this may be due to increased usage of another touchscreen device: tablets.

Although Generation Y has yet to make a major impact on the new car market, GfK believes that this age group’s interest in all things “tech” is going to be critical for the future of the connected car industry.

If social media is the new water cooler, U.S. viewers certainly had their share of “let’s discuss” moments in 2014. From someone kind of getting devoured by an anaconda to the U.S. Men’s World Cup soccer squad trying to make a go of it to, well, zombies, there’s no shortage of Twitter activity during programs—and even in the days after.

Young adult (YA) fiction adaptations—movies based on young adult fiction titles—are a growing slice of the box office pie, increasing 6% between 2013 and 2014. One might assume that teens are driving this trend, considering that the characters in these books are around their age. But in reality, young adults are heading to theaters less frequently than they were five years ago, and fans of the YA movie genre span many age groups.

In today’s world, social media usage appears to run rampant at times. Aside from just keeping in touch with friends and family, social media has a plethora of other uses; but while more Americans are seeing benefits from their social media usage, they are also encountering some negative experiences.

Most consumers experience challenges using several new types of smart high tech devices, according to a new report from Accenture titled Engaging the Digital Consumer in the New Connected World.

Compared to organizations in the retail, communications and financial services sectors that are gaining noteworthy value from advanced analytics, it is arguable whether consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies have yet to achieve the same results. Often they are still using outdated approaches to sales and marketing, and many are also not using social and mobile data to their full potential.

As our nation prepares to ring in the new year, the U.S. Census Bureau toda projected the United States population will be 320,090,857 on Jan. 1, 2015. This represents an increase of 2,334,187, or 0.73 percent, from New Year’s Day 2014, and 11,345,319, or 3.67 percent, since Census Day (April 1) 2010.