For an industry that targets the wealthy, Financial Service marketing, while well-crafted and professional, does not always connect with their target.

A hot potato in the Presidential election cycle is the issue of Income Inequality and the Wealth Gap. Though it's been simmering for some time, it comes into focus when confronted with the data points. The richest 1% of Americans make 20% of the income. The wealthiest 160,000 families have as much as the poorest 145 million families combined. And, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, since the recession began in 2007, spending power for middle income families has diminished while Affluent spending power has increased. It's likely these numbers - and the emotion behind them - will be repeated …

If you ask auto marketers who they'd like their ads to reach, they'll likely say consumers who are in the market and ready to purchase. Each marketer may have different financial thresholds for their potential customers depending on the car model they're marketing, but for the most part, auto marketing is unique in that it focuses exclusively on in-market consumers who have declared that they intend to buy a car.

Perhaps more than for any other retail demographic, inspiration is a key motivator of the affluent audience. Luxury purchasers don't necessarily have a clear vision of what they want. They often react to the larger picture.

It's early November, and affluent shoppers are really starting to shop for the holidays. By the time the turkeys are on the table on Thanksgiving Day, the majority of all affluents (72 million of the 99 million adults living in households with household incomes of $75,000 or more) will have started their holiday shopping, according to what they told us in our most recent survey.