The profile of the affluent customer continues to evolve. Just last September an Ispos Mendelsohn report alerted the world to the complete disappearance of the affluent "middle class," meaning the 100-200k segment. Now a new report from Unity Marketing says they're back. Meet HENRY.

Each month, our survey takes the pulse of American Affluents, tracking their attitudes, aspirations and anxieties. Our latest results find some stability in economic perspectives: optimists about the economy continue to narrowly outnumber pessimists, and most feel the recession is still a reality for themselves, their families, and the U. S as a whole.

Advertisers are starting to question the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, debating the overall effectiveness of social media marketing. The latest example is GM's decision to cancel its $10 million Facebook advertising budget due to unsatisfactory returns and an overall ineffectiveness of their ads on the social networking site.

Luxury brands seem immune to the caution that has characterized the retail sector in recent months - some finding it difficult to keep up with demand. For example, Louis Vuitton witnessed sales growth of 20% in 2011 and Gucci breached the EUR3 billion mark in sales for the first time last year.

There are five things to consider before signing on.