This Valentine's Day many will express their love and devotion with a good ol' fashioned card. Many a sweet sentiment will be shared between significant others, family, friends and in children's classrooms. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion cards will be exchanged this year.
More women (81%) plan to buy cards than men (64%), but this is the number one holiday for American men to purchase greeting cards (ICR/Greeting Card Association).
Most people would like to send or receive cards from a significant other, spouse or family member (70%), others prefer President Obama or his family, US military, children of Haiti and celebrities (ICR).
Everybody loves a good laugh, so approximately one-fourth of traditional valentine's are humorous (ICR).
For procrastinators and those with poor penmanship there is always an e-card. Valentine's Day is the largest e-card sending occasion of the year and an estimated 15 million e-valentines will be sent in 2010 (Greeting Card Association).
Valentine's Day is upon us and consumers are set to shell out the dough for candy, cards and 'cuffs for a whopping estimated total holiday spending of $14.1 billion dollars. But, where will all this money go?
Some of the money will go towards purchasing the one billion valentine cards expected to be exchanged this year and the 8 billion conversation hearts manufactured by NECCO. It will also go towards purchasing the 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and the187 million roses produced for the holiday. A portion will be spent dining on the most romantic cuisines, Italian (33%) and French (29%) as well as whipped cream and fuzzy handcuffs, two of the top bedroom accessories for Valentine's 2010 (13%/7%).
According to the National Retail Federation, couples are spending less on each other this Valentine's Day and more on family, friends, co-workers and pets. Yes, our furry friends need love, too, which is probably why one in four Americans prefers spending Valentine's Day with a pet rather than a partner (Reuters/Ipsos). It just seems easier, especially for the 21% who agree that they purchase Valentine's Day gifts for their partners because they feel like they have to do so to not get in trouble (sleepbetter.org). With all this fido affection it is no surprise that "puppy love" is one of the top 10 conversation heart phrases for 2010 (New England Confectionery Company).
Easter is the second highest candy holiday (after Halloween) and Americans will spend a whopping $1.9 billion this year. According to the National Retail Federation, the average person will spend $17.29 on candy (up from $16.55 last year).
Easter Candy by the Numbers:
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"You lie!"
"Baby killer!"
"Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!"
Interruption marketing may be passe in the advertising world, but it certainly thrives in American discourse. Everyone from Kanye to politicians are using the power of the interruption to get noticed by breaking the flow of conversation.
New York Times article, "They Can't Wait to Tell You," discusses the interruption tactic.
I thought about posting this yesterday, but I figured people might think it was an April Fool's joke. I certainly did.
Growing numbers of women, young women, are dyeing their locks grey.
Full on grey, silver tips and even white clip-on hair pieces are showing up on hipsters and in high fashion 'round the world.
Finally, a trend grandparents can share with their grandchildren!
If aging is considered "cool" what does it mean for an industry that embodies youthfulness?
While this fashion trend may be a reflection of recent pop culture (The White Queen in "Alice in Wonderland") is it purely aesthetic or does it have deeper cultural meaning? How far will it go? Will Generation Next start shopping like The Greatest Generation?
This is something I will definitely follow.
For more on the granny trend:
New York Times, "Young Trendsetters Streak Their Hair With Gray."
The Sunday Times, "The New Grey Hair Trend."
Ads with upbeat taglines, colorful images and fun and games would have us all believe the doom and gloom of the recession is over (economists are such party poopers with their talk about long-term unemployment and upside-down mortgages).
Advertisers are shaking off tough economic times and hope consumers will do the same (Forbes).
We know the wealthy have. "During the recession, it was not considered 'cool' to shop. So right now, people with money are spending because of that pent-up demand (MarketingDaily).
Now that shopping is cool again, marketers anticipate all consumers will lighten up and start spending. According to a BMW ad, "What you make people feel is as important as what you make." Make consumers feel good and they will start buying.....aah, the power of positive thinking.
According to recent research from Nielsen and the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), health-aware shoppers buy more healthy foods, look for deals, and know the layout of where they shop.
The NMI breaks down people into five segments that informs their shopping and buying decisions: Well Beings, Food Actives, Magic Bullets, Fence Sitters and the Eat, Drink and Be Merrys.
Read more about how often these segments shop, how much they spend and in which categories they spend the most in Nielsen's article "Are Healthy Thinkers also Healthy Shoppers?" and on the NMI website.
Anyone who needs business intelligence: advertisers, marketers, designers, PR pros, copywriters, account planners, media strategists, new business managers, product developers.
