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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 20 Health Conditions, and Top 15 Prescription Brands, Researched Online

"Pregnancy" and "cancer" are the two most frequently searched health conditions, at 8.8 million and 7.7 million search queries, respectively. Smoking-cessation treatment Chantix topped the list of frequently searched brand drugs, according to comScore. Common health conditions such as diabetes, depression, and flu were in the top 20 but generate fewer searches than cancer and pregnancy, […]

Posted: Friday, April 25th, 2008

Pharmaceutical Sales via Direct Marketing to Reach $10.6B in 2008

Pharma firms are forecast to generate $10.6 billion in sales via direct marketing in 2008 — and $15.2 billion in 2012, according to a new Direct Marketing Association (DMA) report, "Direct Marketing Facts and Figures in the Pharmaceutical Industry," writes MarketingCharts. Key findings from the report include the following: In 2008, pharmaceutical direct marketers will spend […]

Posted: Friday, April 25th, 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

Older Web Users: Online Content, Ads Aimed at Young

Most internet users age 45 or older say content online serves less their needs and interests than those of younger persons, according to (pdf) a Burst Media survey on the availability of age-appropriate online content, website design and targeted advertising, writes MarketingCharts. Still, 67.7 percent of all respondents say their daily routine would be disrupted […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Top 50 Web Rankings Issued for March - Yellow Book Network, MLB.com Gain

Yahoo beat back Google in the neck-and-neck race for top US web property honors, as traffic increased to online radio, gambling and retail-healthcare sites, according to a comScore Media Metrix monthly analysis of US consumer activity at online properties in March, MarketingCharts reports. Top 50 Properties (Unique Visitors) Among the highlights: The top 10 properties maintained their […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

NAI: Ad Targeting by Health Conditions Should Be Off-Limits

In a response to the FTC, the Network Advertising Initiative said behavioral ad targeting should not — and would not — take medical conditions into account. The Federal Trade Commission has been seeking comment on proposed guidelines for self-regulation in behavioral ad targeting. The NAI admonished the FTC not to put too much weight on privacy […]

Posted: Monday, April 14th, 2008

Annual 'Hot List' of Properties Topped by 'Economist'

For the first time, global news and business pub The Economist took the No.1 spot on AdweekMedia's 28th annual "Hot List," leaping from No. 10 last year. This was the biggest jump on a list otherwise dominated by women's lifestyle titles, writes MarketingCharts. Also, Time Inc.'s People.com received AdweekMedia's first-ever "Magazine Web Site of the Year" […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Social Media Marketing Still Lacks Strong Metrics

Companies adopt social media as a marketing tool but struggle to find effective metrics, writes Paul Gillin (author of The New Influencers) in a report issued by the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), MarketingCharts writes. "New Media, New Influencers, and Implications for the Public Relations Profession" is based on findings from a survey of […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Retirement Planning Grips 67% of Adults

Americans often think of numbers that reflect their identity, like their birthday (cited by 26 percent) or social security number (16 percent), rather than what they have or aspire to have (5 percent cited a dollar amount). But 67 percent sometimes or often think about what they need to save or invest for retirement, MarketingCharts reports. That's […]

Posted: Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Healthcare Consumers Take Active Role, Want Customized Services

Overall healthcare consumer needs are basic — better service, personalization and value — but they are starting to include health plan customization, help with clinical decisions, unique coverage and pricing features, and holistic options, according to Deloitte's 2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers, MarketingCharts writes. Below are some of the findings from the survey. Consumers want […]

Posted: Monday, March 10th, 2008

Google Promises Not to Advertise on Health Platform

To curb user privacy concerns, Google is refusing to sell ads to support its new service, which stores personal medical information. Google Health is a platform where users can manage medical records like test results and prescriptions, according to the Boston Globe. It is accessible via username and password, much like a Gmail account. A recent study […]

Posted: Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Disparity Between What Health Care Consumers Want (Stuff Online) - and Actually Get

Consumers want access to technology and services that they do not get from healthcare providers - like online access to medical information and the price of physician/hospital services, finds a Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey, writes MarketingCharts. Among the findings: Some 88 percent of consumers surveyed want expanded use of in-home monitoring devices and online tools […]

Posted: Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Google Climbs to Top of Canadian Web Rankings for First Time Ever

Google Sites inched ahead of Microsoft Sites, becoming the most-visited web property in Canada in January — by a mere 16,000 or so unique visitors — according to data from comScore's Media Metrix service, MarketingCharts writes. Google Sites had 22.440 million visitors and Microsoft Sites had 22.424 million, comScore said. Additional January information released: Top 25 Properties Among the […]

Posted: Wednesday, February 27th, 2008