If you look at the industry headlines these days, the majority of the stories are still focused on social and mobile - particularly for luxury brands. Experts agree that marketers should be banking on these new channels, which open up a world of opportunity with respect to data, targeting and round-the-clock access. I recommend an investment here, but I also recommend not putting all your eggs into the social/mobile basket just yet. While both are promising and will increasingly demand more budget, targeted display is still your "tried and true" and should still take the lion's share of your advertising ...» 0 Comments
This week, we're releasing our latest analyses of two widely cited government surveys: the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances (a triennial study from the Federal Reserve Board), and the 2011 Consumer Expenditures Survey (an annual study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Our analyses of the raw unpublished data from these surveys paint a definitive portrait of wealth and spending concentration in America.» 0 Comments
We New Englanders recently endured our largest blizzard in recent memory; providing much of the region the rare luxury of spending extended time at home with family. As Dad to both a toddler and infant boy, this extended time with the kids provided many moments of euphoria, melt-downs, exuberance and tantrums (thrown more by yours truly than I'm proud to admit.)» 0 Comments
This time of year, grandparents start thinking about Spring Break and the kind of travel they might do with their grandchildren. It's a great time to travel-everyone's ready for a break in routine and traveling in nearly any geographical direction offers many unique opportunities.» 0 Comments
Let's first dispel the myth that affluent consumers do not shop for deals. Research affirms the contrary. According to Nielsen Research, affluent households dominate coupon use. In 2009, for the first time, households with incomes above $100,000 were the primary drivers of the record coupon growth seen in that year. The economic downturn has since kept this trend alive. More than one-third of visitors to the Groupon and Living Social deal sites are college educated.» 3 Comments
In my world, we think a lot about reaching affluent audiences with targeted rich media. Of course, rich media isn't the only way to reach luxury buyers - search engine marketing is also incredibly effective and complimentary to the rich media experience. Since search is extending well beyond the desktop, brands now have to think about targeting audiences by device as well as by keyword phrase. To talk more about this, I've invited my friends at Morpheus Media, who've just completed a study on tablet search behavior across five luxury brands, to join me here. Basheer Bergus, Paid Search Strategist ...» 0 Comments
In a review of luxury travel trends, I cited unique experiences, exotic and previously forbidden locales, and healthy, activity-based vacations among the new year's fads-all tied together by the social-media savvy. Thank you, Travel + Leisure, Travel Weekly, the International Luxury Travel Market, and others, for backing me up. A new crop of travel sites connects some of these trends.» 0 Comments
I've always loved the start of a new year. New Year's Eve, as holidays go, is characteristically more about fun and less about family drama, and New Year's Day is typically a day of relaxed recovery. I've even come to enjoy the promise and potential that is so carefully packaged in the "New Year, New You" promotions that now seem standard fare for every category.» 0 Comments
When Virgin Galactic launched in 2004, I think we all knew that the future of luxury travel would look very different than we ever could have anticipated.» 0 Comments
In each of the last 36 years, we have begun the analysis of our survey data with a search for trends. What's up? What's down? What has changed in Affluent lives, spending patterns, and media habits?» 0 Comments
