As Boomers Retire, Lack of Specialized Medical Care Becomes a Concern

The vast majority of Boomers say it is important that their physician have specialized training in dealing with older patients, but a majority say they cannot find such a doctor, according to the first annual Senior Health Index from American System for Advancing Senior Health, writes MarketingCharts. Nearly nine in 10 women (88 percent) consider […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Retail Sales Forecast: Big Boost from Tax Rebates

Federal tax rebates will give retail sales a significant and much-needed boost in the next two quarters, predicts TNS Retail Forward, saying retails sales growth will improve by as much as three percentage points in the third quarter and half that in the second quarter, MarketingCharts writes. Households will spend as much as $42 billion of […]

Posted: Friday, May 9th, 2008

Search Rankings for Europe Issued, Russian Engine Beats Yahoo, Microsoft

Google leads in the European search market with more than 19 billion searches conducted in March - or 79 percent of the market - according to the comScore qSearch 2.0 rankings (via MarketingCharts). No. 3 Yandex of Russia outpaced both Yahoo and Microsoft, the data showed . Eastern Europe Search Players a Factor Google's top position […]

Posted: Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Mother's Day 2008: Men Will Spend More Than Women

Men plan to spend more than women this Mother's Day, with an anticipated average "spend" of $170 compared with women's $110, according to a Brand Keys survey, writes MarketingCharts. The survey, part of the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, asked 1,200 men and women (age 18-65) how they planned to celebrate Mother's Day. Higher gas prices and subsequently […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Online Advertised Job Vacancies Fall Sharply in April

In April there were 3,649,900 online advertised job vacancies, a 16.4 percent decline from April 2007 — and the second consecutive month of year-over-year declines — according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series, MarketingCharts reports. In April, there were 2.4 advertised vacancies posted online for every 100 persons in the labor force, down from […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Online Channels Work Well for Large Retailers, Less So for Others

Consumers cite the web as the fastest-growing retail channel by a 2-to-1 margin. They are also starting to expect more from businesses, including the ability to order products in one place and pick them up — or have them delivered — elsewhere, according to a Retail Systems Research (RSR) report, MarketingCharts writes. Large retailers (those […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Americans Befuddled by Financial Jargon Make Investing Mistakes

Most Americans find the language of Wall Street technical and confusing and may be making investing mistakes and missing opportunities as a result, according to a nationwide survey by AARP Financial Inc, MarketingCharts writes. More than half (52%) of 1,203 adults surveyed said they've made an investment that had an unfavorable outcome - such as unexpected […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Healthcare Costs Near Top of Americans' Economic Woes

Paying for healthcare ranks among Americans' top personal economic problems (some even marry for health insurance) - up there with filling the gas tank and finding a well-paying job or getting a pay raise - according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll, MarketingCharts reports. Conducted by the Foundation's public opinion researchers, the April poll […]

Posted: Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Health Plan Satisfaction Varies Starkly from Region to Region

Health plan performance across the US varies widely among some insurers. Just 45% of plan members report fully understanding how to use their insurance coverage and member services, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 National Health Insurance Plan Study, MarketingCharts reports. The study of member satisfaction among 107 health plans in 17 regions throughout […]

Posted: Monday, May 5th, 2008

Online Shopping More Appealing as Gas Hits New Highs

One-third (33 percent) of online US adults are more likely to shop online, rather than at a store, because of high gas prices, according to a Harris Interactive study conducted for iCongo - writes MarketingCharts. Some highlights from the study: Incentives Consumers give various other reasons they would be more likely to shop online as opposed to a […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Web 2.0 Proves Handy for Integrating Brand and Direct Marketing

Web 2.0 paves the way for integrating direct and brand marketing, enabling real-time dialog with customers and the joint creation of content that improves brand awareness and perception. More importantly, all that work can generate sales and leads, according to a new report, MarketingCharts writes. "New Media Emergence in DM & Brand," a report from the […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Lackluster Teen Spend Indicates 'Discretionary Recession'

Though fashion still accounts for 41 percent of the total teen budget, teen spend in the category declined nearly 20 percent year over year, pointing to a "discretionary recession," according to the 15th semi-annual "Taking Stock With Teens" study by Piper Jaffray, MarketingCharts reports. "We're currently in the 'transition phase' of the fashion cycle and […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Environmental Marketing Messages Often Misunderstood

To minimize green marketing confusion, most Americans (59 percent) support government regulation of key phrases commonly used in environmental marketing and advertising, according to the "2008 Green Gap Survey" by Cone and The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, MarketingCharts reports. The "Green Gap" Four in 10 (39 percent) Americans preferentially buy products they believe to be "environmentally […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Marketing Execs: Agency Use Unaffected by Economic Climate - for Now

77 percent of marketing executives say the slowing economy has moderately or greatly affected business in the past six months, but most say agency use has not changed. Not yet, anyway, warns a Reardon Smith Whittaker study (via AdWeek), writes MarketingCharts. The study, "2008 Client's Perspective on Economic Conditions," found that most marketers don't seem ready to […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Consumer Confidence Index Slides to Five-Year Low

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which declined sharply in March, fell further in April and stands at 62.3 (1985=100). This is down from 65.9 (revised upward) in March, according to the Conference Board, writes MarketingCharts. That's the lowest it's been since March 2003, MarketWatch reported. The Present Situation Index decreased to 80.7 in April from 90.6 in […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Mobile Display Ads Increase Brand Awareness and Interest

Awareness of and interest in "The Golden Compass" among users exposed to promotional full-screen mobile ads increased significantly, according to results of a mobile ad campaign by Greystripe and New Line Cinema, MarketingCharts reports. Greystripe commissioned Dynamic Logic to measure the campaign's success in raising awareness, interest and intent to see the movie. Survey respondents […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Click Fraud Rate Down Slightly in First Quarter

The average click fraud rate for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising was 16.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008, down slightly from the 16.6 percent reported in 4Q07. 16.3 percent is, however, up from the 14.8 percent rate reported in Q1 last year, reports the Click Fraud Index, MarketingCharts writes. Click Forensics issued the data from the […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Pontiflex Nets $2.5M in Series A Funding

Cost-per-lead (CPL) firm Pontiflex has generated $2.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Greenhill SAVP and New Atlantic Ventures. The firm aims to bring transparency to lead generation in online advertising. Pontiflex enables advertisers and publishers to connect on its website. Users may create, optimize and track campaigns from one dashboard. The service is […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Text-Based Discounts May Spark Impulse Buys for Fashion Mag Advertisers

Hearst Magazines has added ShopText technology to a slew of its publications, including Redbook and Seventeen. ShopText enables readers to text product keywords to a number in exchange for coupons or samples. Hearst has been using the system in select titles since 2006. ShopText keywords were particularly powerful among CosmoGIRL readers. The technology is a baby step […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Top 10 Boomer Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction

Preconceived notions about Baby Boomers abound, but many are mere myth, according to the third Quarterly Boomer Report from AARP Services and Focalyst, titled "How Well Do You Know Boomers? Counting Down the Top 10 Boomer Myths," writes MarketingCharts. "Contrary to many common assumptions, Boomers are making retirement obsolete, are very savvy about advertising, and […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008