Another Good Year for Millionaire Households

For the sixth consecutive year, the number of millionaire households ($1MM+ net worth, not including primary residence) in the US increased significantly, reaching some 9.9 million, according to TNS's annual Affluent Market Research Program (AMRP), writes MarketingCharts. The number of millionaire households increased 5.9 percent from June 2006 to June 2007, TNS said. The top 10 […]

Posted: Friday, May 16th, 2008

Google Search Hits All-Time US High: 67.9%

Google accounted for 67.90 percent of US searches in the four weeks ended April 26 — up 4 percent from the year-earlier period — according to Hitwise. These figures mark an all-time high in market share for the search leader, MarketingCharts writes. Yahoo Search, MSN Search and Ask.com received 20.28 percent, 6.26 percent and 4.17 percent […]

Posted: Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Wealthy Women Flex Financial Muscles

Married wealthy women make almost two-thirds (64 percent) of a family's purchase decisions on average, according to a Luxury Institute survey of women from households with $150,000 or more in annual income, MarketingCharts writes. "Winning over wealthy women is a do-or-die proposition for companies in industries as varied as travel, healthcare, financial services and home […]

Posted: Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Consumers Increasingly Turn to 'Net for Auto Insurance

15 percent of respondents to a comScore survey say they purchased their current auto insurance policy online — a gain of three percent from last year, comScore said (via MarketingCharts). Traditional agents recorded a corresponding decline in market share, decreasing three percentage points to 53 percent of total policies purchased, according to the 2008 […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

US Consumer Sentiment Inches Up after Six Months of Declines

American economic enthusiasm rallied slightly this month, increasing nearly 10 points and reversing six straight months of declining confidence, according to the most recent results of the RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index, writes MarketingCharts. The survey, which measured the attitudes of 1,000 consumers earlier this week, found respondents more positive about […]

Posted: Monday, May 12th, 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

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

Ballmer Sways, Considers Higher Yahoo Bid

Microsoft is reportedly willing to raise its bid for Yahoo to $33 a share, reports The Wall Street Journal. The news gives legs to a recent rumor that, despite Steve Ballmer's threats to oust Yahoo's board, he'd prefer a non-hostile takeover. Following Wednesday's board meeting, Microsoft's directors gave Ballmer discretion to either go hostile or give up […]

Posted: Friday, May 2nd, 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

Time Warner to Shaft Cable Division

Time Warner, which owns an 84 percent stake in Time Warner Cable, has decided to separate it from other assets. "We just believe the two entities would be more valuable if separated rather than kept in the current structure," said CEO Jeffrey Bewkes. Time Warner's net income in Q1 was $771 million, down $3 percent from $1.2 […]

Posted: Thursday, May 1st, 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

Top Canadian Web Rankings Issued for March

Google Sites again edged out Microsoft Sites for top position among web properties in Canada, according to comScore'S Media Metrix March 2008 rankings of the largest, fastest-growing Internet properties and site categories in Canada, MarketingCharts reports. Canadians focused on their finances in March. Online trading, tax and personal finance sites gained as visitors prepared to […]

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

Mars to Buy Wrigley, with a Little Help from Buffett

"Oracle of Omaha" investor Warren Buffett is partnering with candy vendor Mars Inc. to absorb Wrigley, the no. 1 chewing gum manufacturer in the world, for $23 billion. The offer divvies out to $80 per share, a 28 percent premium over Wrigley's existing market value. The company closed at $62.45 at the end of last week. Buffett's […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Financial Strain on Family Life Tops Issues Most Crucial to Women

Women and their families experience tremendous financial pressure on issues ranging from housing, to credit card debt, to healthcare. As a result, family women are concerned about long-term financial security, according to a Meredith Corporation/NBC Universal survey, writes MarketingCharts. The "What do Women Want?" survey included 3,000 women and covered a range of topics important to […]

Posted: Monday, April 28th, 2008

Wal-Mart Sits Pretty Atop Fortune 500 List

Wal-Mart Stores posted '07 revenues of $378.8 billion (up 7.9 percent from 2006) and profits of $12.7 billion. These figures again made it the No. 1 corporation in the Fortune 500, Fortune announced, MarketingCharts reports. Wal-Mart is also the biggest employer, employing more people (2 million) than the US armed forces (1.4 million). Below, the top 10 […]

Posted: Monday, April 28th, 2008

Amazon's Q1 Sales Rise to a Creamy 37 Percent, Wall Street Still Skeptical

Buttressed by sales in the US and overseas, Amazon's 1Q08 sales reportedly rose 37 percent. Earnings for the quarter approached $143 million — 34 cents a share — from $111 million — 26 cents a share — in 1Q07, beating Wall Street expectations of a 32-cent-per-share profit. Revenue hit $4.14 billion from $3.02 billion during the same […]

Posted: Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Google Beats Coca-Cola, GE, Microsoft for Top Brand Honors

Google again topped the annual BrandZ Ranking, issued by Millward Brown's Optimor. The firm identified (pdf) the world's most powerful brands as measured by their dollar value. Google's brand is valued at $86.1 billion, up 30 percent from last year, MarketingCharts writes. Google is followed by General Electric at $71.4 billion and Microsoft at $70.8 billion: The […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

WOM Research: Moms Buzz about Brands

New and expecting mothers have over 109 word-of-mouth conversations per week about products, services and brands. Most brands are discussed in a positive context and are considered highly credible by other moms, according to a Keller Fay study conducted for BabyCenter, MarketingCharts writes. Per day, the group engages in one-third more word-of-mouth (WOM) conversation than the […]

Posted: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008