|
Consumers appear to have a different definition of socially
responsible companies than analysts and media. The most important
factor to consumers is how a company treats its employees.
For example, employee salary and wage increases (76%) are
more important than making charitable contributions or establishing
environmental programs.
Undergraduate Students' Career Goals
In 2006, undergraduate students chose "high ethical standards"
(39%) as the most significant factor when deciding which company
to work for, compared to selecting "financial strength of
a company" (26%) in 2005. The chart below shows their career
goals after graduating.
Online Dating Population
There are more than 1,000 online dating sites in the U.S.
today. Surprisingly, one of the fastest growing populations
joining these networks is adults over 50 years old. According
to AARP: The Magazine, one in 14 singles age 40-69 regularly
go online for dating.
Fifty to 64-year-olds account for 6% of the total online
dating population (18-29-year-olds make up the largest segment
at 18%). One of the largest sites, Match.com, has over 1.5
million users over age 50 accounting for nearly 10% of its
membership.
What's Most Important to Americans
Attaining wealth is only important to 11% of Americans, according
to a Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University
poll. Of the nine items on the survey, being respected (66%),
having children (64%) and having enough time to do the things
they want (63%) were the most important. The chart below shows
that what's important differs significantly by gender and
race.
The following chart shows what powers adults would like to
have, if they were possible.
A survey of volunteers age 15-24 with Amnesty International-affiliated
programs showed that most charitable groups don't know how
to get kids involved with their efforts. Many don't have an
appealing message and others don't use effective outreach.
The following charts provide more detail.
Free Magazines Do Not Appeal to Affluent Customers
Free magazines offered to affluent consumers do not receive
much attention and are not valued by those consumers - no
matter how glossy or oversized the magazines are - according
to a survey by Monroe Mendelsohn Research for Emmis Publications.
Survey respondents are aware of the free high-end magazines
available, but are much less so than of paid publications.
Paid publications also received many more "excellent" and
"good" ratings than the free publications.
Hispanics' Radio Preferences
According to "Hispanic Radio Today 2006," radio reaches a
larger percentage of the Hispanic population (95.4%) than
the total U.S. population (92.9%). Hispanics also spend more
hours listening (22.25 hours per week) compared to all U.S.
listeners (19.25 hours), and are more likely to listen while
at home.
The survey also shows that the majority of Hispanics find
Mexican Regional most appealing. The south Atlantic region
prefers Spanish Contemporary and is the second most popular
format nationally. The New England and Middle Atlantic regions
prefer Spanish Tropical, making it the third most popular
format.
Women Are Comfortable With Technology
Almost eight in 10 women (79%) are comfortable with technology,
according to an Oxygen Media study of 15-49-year-old women
and men. One-fifth of women wish they were more comfortable
with technology compared to an equal percentage of men, and
23% of both groups fear being left behind as technology evolves.
As shown in the chart below, when given $500 to spend, women
(37%) would buy a new tech device over any other option.
Brand Websites Attract Children
Almost nine in 10 children's brands (88%) have websites with
at least some child-directed content to further engage their
audience, per the Kaiser Family Foundation. Of the average
website and/or children's section:
- 73% provide games that include brand identifiers such
as food items, packaging or characters.
- 53% include television commercials or viewing · 80% make
brand benefit claims, and of those claims, just 20% are
about nutrition
- 51% include at least basic nutritional information, though
most often in a general audience area.
- 42% allow children to register, join a club or become
a member.
- 73% allow users to personalize the website (e.g. customized
backgrounds, posting game scores)
- 47% include tie-ins with movies and television programs
- 41% allow users to enter a sweepstakes or sign up for
a premium offer
- 35% provide educational content
- 76% offer content for download, printing, or saving,
such as desktop wallpaper or screensavers.
- 82% did not remind users that the website contained advertising.
Longevity Gap in America
The difference in average life expectancy between U.S. populations
isn't explained by race, access to healthcare, or income as
previously thought. The disparities are largely the result
of chronic diseases among young and middle-aged adults.
Changes In Physicians' Income and Practices
The average physician's net income from his or her practice
dropped 7% between 1997 and 2003 (latest figures available).
Primary care physicians had the greatest loss (10.2%) while
medical specialists lost only 2.1% of their incomes. Other
changes are shown in the chart below.
Internet as Source for Medical Advice
Consumers often turn to websites to get health information
faster than they would by waiting to speak with a doctor (63%)
and to confirm they are getting the best possible care for
their condition (53%). Consumers say they wish health websites
gave a clear indication of authorship (53%) and names of other
useful sites (43%).
Of those who use the Internet to locate health information,
only 16% find what they are seeking. These searches typically
focus on medical conditions (68%) rather than drug names (42%).
One-fifth of adults (19%) have bought a prescription online,
and 26% of adults over 55 have done so.
Americans on a Diet
Some 64% of Americans are limiting the types and amount of
food they eat. One-half of these (50%) are trying to lose
weight and 31% are doing so to maintain their current weight.
More than four out of five dieters (82%) are using a plan
they created themselves, with men more likely than women (85%
vs. 79%) to create their own plan. Some 46% of dieters are
"very satisfied" with their current plan, but 33% wish for
a better one. Most dieters (74%) say they don't like trying
new diets.
Harness the Power of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the emerging generation of online technologies
such as wikis, blogs, RSS, AJAX, and mashups. A defining characteristic
is that they're services demanding active participation and
social interaction.
While these services were previously used to attract consumers,
they're now moving into the business world. The chart below
serves as a guide for companies wanting to harness the power
of Web 2.0.
IT Going Green
The worldwide IT industry accounts for 2% of the world's
carbon dioxide emissions - the same amount the world's aviation
industry creates. This estimate is based on the amount of
energy PCs, servers, cooling, fixed and mobile phone systems,
LANs, office telecommunications and printers all used in offices
across the globe. The figure also includes all commercial
and governmental IT and telecommunications infrastructures
worldwide - but no consumer electronics besides mobiles and
PCs.
While few IT managers are currently aware of the issues,
they will face increasing financial, environmental and legislative
pressures to become more environmentally sustainable during
the next five years. Some technology purchasers are already
starting to factor in green measures, and more than one-third
of IT organizations will have one or more environmental criteria
in their top six buying conditions by 2010.
Best Business-to-Business Brands of 2006
The third annual Top Brands awards by BtoB magazine features
many businesses with staying power as well as some newcomers.
Companies which dropped off the list from last year are Dell,
IBM, Intel and Merrill Lynch. BtoB's editorial staff chose
the top 10 based on CoreBrands's brand equity ranking and
Interbrand/BusinessWeek's global brand valuations. They also
considered the brands' promimence in both the b-to-b marketplace
and the business media over the past year.
Bullets
- In 2004, nearly one in five American women in their 40s
(19%) were childless, up from one in 10 during 2000.
- Of those who have a preference, most beer drinkers prefer
a glass bottle (75%). Some 24% prefer aluminum cans and
1% like plastic containers.
- The number of summer day camps for children has grown
almost 90% since 1986.
- Americans wear jeans 4.1 days per week, and the majority
of people (68%) say they prefer jeans over other casual
wear. Men own 8.25 pairs of jeans and women own 8.35.
- Most women have "fat clothes" (63%) and "skinny clothes"
(58%) to wear as their weight fluctuates.
- Adult's most common actions in dreams are chasing/being
chased (37%), falling (28%), wading or swimming (15%) and
being invisible (9%).
- Eight in 10 single women age 45+ don't worry about growing
old alone. Of those who do, divorced women (25%) worry more
than widows (19%) or married women (17%).
- The average wedding cost was $27,852 in 2005, compared
to $15,208 in 1990. One-third of engaged couples pay for
their own weddings.
- Eight in 10 parents say neither alcohol nor marijuana
are available at parties their kids attend, but 50% of kids
say either alcohol, drugs or both are available.
- More than one-half of young women age 16-25 (54%) stress
about their body image and their careers.
- Maine has the oldest population in America with a median
age of 41.2; Utah has the youngest with a median age of
28.5.
- Two-thirds of women (65%) give gifts "just because," and
22% say it is their favorite type of gifting occasion.
- Male Gen-Xers (age 25-39) are 68% more likely than Baby
Boomers (age 40-59) to increase their spending on luxury
items over the next 10 years.
- Nearly one-half (48%) of all workers say their company
monitors their online activities, with government employees
(66%) being the most watched.
- Almost all (98%) of frequent flyers say they pick up the
in-flight magazine at least once.
- Almost two-thirds of men who own DVRs (65%) skip commercials
while 56% of women do so. Both groups' commercial skipping
is up from 2005 when 21% of male and 10% of female DVR owners
did so.
- Americans age 18-24 who have at least some college education
are more likely to read newspapers (42%) than those with
only a high school diploma (28%). The differences are also
significant for those using the Internet to find news (40%
vs. 18%).
- One-half of adults (47%) report never reading e-mail advertising,
while many say they open advertising messages from companies
they trust (12%) or for products they want or need (7%).
- When advertisements include strong sexual images, two-thirds
of men (63%) take notice, but only 10% recall the brand.
When ads don't have sexual content, men (20%) are more likely
to remember the brand.
- Most radio listeners (92%) do not change the station when
an advertisement comes on the air, according to a study
by Arbitron. The audience does drop off the longer the commercial
break lasts, however there is still an 88% retention with
a six-minute ad break.
- Some 76.2% of radio listeners say it's important to them
that their favorite radio station programs come from their
own community. Despite the fact that much of radio is syndicated
or centrally produced, nearly one-half of listeners (44.4%)
think that most or all of the programming on their favorite
local stations is produced in their own communities, and
another 36.8% think that at least some is.
- Some 13 million Baby Boomers are caregivers for their
parents, and 25% have their parents living with them.
- Only 18% of consumers (down from 33% in 1997) trust drug
advertisements most of the time, per a Kaiser Family Foundation
study. An MRxHealth reports says that 19% of adults say
prescription drugs ads are helpful, while the same number
think they are harmful.
- About 58% of consumers went to a "brick & mortar" pharmacy
in 2006, down from 64% in 2000.
- WebMD (31%) is the most often used website or search engine
used for medical information. Others include Google (7%),
Yahoo! (4%) and Mayo Clinic (3%).
- Some 95% of doctors go online to find medical information,
with 22% going online while with patients.
- The demand for cosmetic surgery and procedure materials
grew 11% annually between 2000 and 2005, and is expected
to increase by more than 9% each year until 2010.
- Most Black medical school graduates (63%) plan to practice
in an underserved area, the highest percentage of any racial
or ethnic group. Asians have the lowest percentage (15%)
of graduates willing to practice in an underserved area.
- Cell phone subscribers who use their phones for business
talk more than average users (949 minutes vs. 771 minutes
per month) and have more additional charges such as calls
to 411 and overages. Their monthly bill is typically 23%
higher than that of average users.
- Having close friendships at work increases job satisfaction
by 50%, but only 18% of companies provide opportunities
for workers to develop friendships on the job.
- More than four in 10 human resource professionals (42%)
say that the cost of replacing a bad hire (including training,
recruitment, and lost productivity) is two times the employee's
salary; another 43% say it costs three to five times the
salary.
- According to the Society for Information Management, business
owners in the western U.S. are more likely to find ways
to reduce energy use in response to rising costs (46%),
while those in the north central region are more likely
to raise their prices.
- Companies that have outsourced some of their operations
say they now have problems with miscommunication (60%),
having to redo work (32%), missed deadlines (29%) and low
morale (25%).
- More CEOs consider the quality of life in a new city (31%)
than the compensation package they are offered (27%) when
making decisions to relocate for work. Some 12% won't relocate
no matter what is offered to them.
|
