Research

It’s been widely reported that for many Millennials, “30 is the new 20,” with many delaying major life milestones, like full-time employment, marriage and having children. However, recent data from the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker suggests that as the economy continues to recover, Millennials will make 2015 a year of major purchases and life experiences.

In its annual outlook of global technology trends, Accenture has identified a 180-degree shift to what it calls the “We Economy” that is re-shaping markets and changing the way we work and live.

Music consumption has changed, but consumers’ appetite for music is as strong as ever.

“In the United States alone, there are more than 54 million people of Hispanic ethnicity. Such a large group cannot be ignored and is expected to become even larger as the years pass. This infographic serves to provide a basic understanding of such a diverse group.”  By Madison Ciklin / student at Florida State University

The economy can be a tough thing to gauge. Soothsayers of all sorts report on short and long term outlooks, but an important thing to note is that the economy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. While many factors play into its ebb and flow, what people actually expect of it can become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, impacting spending and saving trends which can in turn have impacts on the economy as a whole.

“Big Data” and “Social Good” may be the yin and yang of tomorrow’s most successful brands. Both are recognized as important components of contemporary marketing strategy, yet they are not typically thought of as bedmates. That is changing.

As viewers gravitate toward OTT services, what are Hispanic multiplatform viewers using and where does OTT viewing fit in for them?

You might think that American Millennials – of all ethnicities – would be in the same ballpark when it comes to their finances… and you’d be partially right. In some aspects of it, they are in lock-step. For example, when asked if they did not believe in using a traditional bank, approximately 30% in each group completely or somewhat agreed.  But what’s interesting is where they diverge from one another.

U.S. companies are struggling to keep pace with their customers’ “always on” nature and greater use of digital channels, according to new research from Accenture. As a result, the “Switching Economy” – the potential revenue up for grabs in the U.S. market due to changes in consumer spending patterns and switching rates – has swelled to $1.6 trillion, a 29 percent increase since 2010.

With “The Big Game” just around the corner, football fans may be starting to wonder whether or not their beloved game is still America’s Favorite Sport.  Back in 1985, there was only a one-point difference between the percentage of American adults who followed at least one sport and considered pro football (24%) or baseball (23%) to be their favorite. 

Among sports fans, the escalating interest around Super Bowl XLIX is focused on which team will earn the championship trophy for its on-field performance. Among marketing and advertising professionals, the chatter is centered on the TV commercials that will air during the game and the integrated multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns from these sponsors. Who will score or fumble on advertising’s biggest day of the year?

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).