Disruption Tour --- Run To Survive

ON THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

from mashable.com

thegies writes hmmm...175 Billion spend on advertising in the US in 2007 and $165 Billion being thrown in the trash or into landfills due to ineffectiveness.  I wonder what a difference reallocating this money would make to many social issues? Check out http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=323832500

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Economist has a timely cover story on the current global food price inflation and resulting unrest.  Here's how they describe the harsh human reality:

"...by almost any measure, the human suffering is likely to be vast. In El Salvador the poor are eating only half as much food as they were a year ago. Afghans are now spending half their income on food, up from a tenth in 2006.

On a conservative estimate, food-price rises may reduce the spending power of the urban poor and country people who buy their own food by 20% (in some regions, prices are rising by far more). Just over 1 billion people live on $1 a day, the benchmark of absolute poverty; 1.5 billion live on $1 to $2 a day.

Bob Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, reckons that food inflation could push at least 100m people into poverty, wiping out all the gains the poorest billion have made during almost a decade of economic growth."

In particular the article does a good job on outlining the myriad market forces than have brought us to this point, and an cogent examination of how market forces may get us out.  As the article points out:

"In the short run, humanitarian aid, social-protection programmes and trade policies will determine how well the world copes with these problems. But in the medium term the question is different: where does the world get more food from?

If the extra supplies come mainly from large farmers in America, Europe and other big producers, then the new equilibrium may end up looking much like the old one, with world food depending on a small number of suppliers and—possibly—trade distortions and food dumping."

But the longer-term answers are not that clear, given the complexity of the many disparate global trends that are coming together at an inopportune time. We need to understand the issues and the problems before we can start to figure out the opportunities and solutions.

Definitely worth a weekend read.

Reading, TV Are (Declining) Leisure-Time Faves, Computer Use Up

marketingvox.com

A rallying call for Reading Rainbow Americans' favorite leisure activities are reading, TV-watching and spending time with friends and family - the same top three as in 2004, but with lower percentage of people citing them, according to a Harris Poll, writes MarketingCharts. Also according to the results of the survey: Over one-third (35 percent) cited reading in 2004, but this year that is down to 29 percent. TV watching has dropped from 21 percent to 18 percent. Spending time with friends and family has dropped from 20 percent to 14 percent. Computer activities has risen from 7 percent to 9 percent. Going to the movies has dropped from 10 percent to 7 percent. Biggest Changes The largest increases in popularity in the past 12 years - since 1995, when this survey was first conducted - are the following: Computer activities (not surprisingly) - up seven points, from 2 percent to 9 percent. Watching sporting events (up four points) Exercise (up three points) Crafts (up three points) The biggest declines in popularity over the last 12 years are in TV-watching (down seven points), sewing/crocheting (down five points), entertaining (down four points) and swimming (down four points). Hours Working and Available for Leisure The number of hours spent working (including housekeeping and studying) dropped from a median of 50 hours in 2004 to a median of 45 hours this year - the lowest since 1975, when it was at 43 hours. The number of hours available for leisure per week has not changed much since 2004. It is now 20 hours; in 2004 it was 19 hours. About the survey: The Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between October 16 and 23 among 1,052 adults (age 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, size of place (urbanicity) and number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

Four in Five US Adults Go Online - Usage, Users Profiled

marketingvox.com

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The number of adults online at home, in the office, at school, the library or other locations continues to grow at a steady rate. The figure increased 10 percent in the past year to an estimated 178 million* - or nearly four out of five US adults, according to the latest Harris Poll, reports sister site MarketingCharts. Shortcuts to tables referenced in this article: Proportions of US adults who are PC and online users, 1995-2007 Number of US adults online, 1995-2007 Locations from which US users go online and for how long per week, 1995-2007 US online adults' demographic profile

Reach high school grads who like to spend

Imediaconnection.com click here for more of the article

The Millennial generation has received increased scrutiny as a truly wired generation. They’ve grown up with the internet in their schools and in their hands. They’re of acute interest to marketers, especially now, as they enter the work force and have discretionary income. A marketer’s hope is that if a brand can capture consumers as they first become independent spenders, these individuals will continue to be loyal as they become more affluent.

But there’s a subset of this group that is not on the radar screen of most marketers. These are non-college bound individuals, especially those in the first two years after high school graduation. Let’s call them the Shadow Millennials.

Shadow Millennials make up a significant percent of this age group. Of high school students graduating in 2005, 41.8 percent did not enter college. This represents nearly 1.7 million 18 and 19 year olds who are prime candidates for brand marketing.

The Shadow Millennials have been exposed to the same school conditions as college-bound students -- using the internet for entertainment and information. But they are now independent wage earners and decision makers with access to more personal money for products and services. They are sophisticated buyers, handling money independently.

The Shadow Millennials have different online interests, behaviors and buying habits from those with college experience. So how can the non-college bound generation be acquired online and brought out from the shadow of their peers?

Reach high school grads who like to spend

imediaconnection click here for more...

By Carol Setter

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Get the guide to who Shadow Millennials are and how they like to spend their disposable income.

The Millennial generation has received increased scrutiny as a truly wired generation. They’ve grown up with the internet in their schools and in their hands. They’re of acute interest to marketers, especially now, as they enter the work force and have discretionary income. A marketer’s hope is that if a brand can capture consumers as they first become independent spenders, these individuals will continue to be loyal as they become more affluent.

But there’s a subset of this group that is not on the radar screen of most marketers. These are non-college bound individuals, especially those in the first two years after high school graduation. Let’s call them the Shadow Millennials.

Shadow Millennials make up a significant percent of this age group. Of high school students graduating in 2005, 41.8 percent did not enter college. This represents nearly 1.7 million 18 and 19 year olds who are prime candidates for brand marketing.

The Shadow Millennials have been exposed to the same school conditions as college-bound students -- using the internet for entertainment and information. But they are now independent wage earners and decision makers with access to more personal money for products and services. They are sophisticated buyers, handling money independently.

The Shadow Millennials have different online interests, behaviors and buying habits from those with college experience. So how can the non-college bound generation be acquired online and brought out from the shadow of their peers?

To Target Women, Try Sports — but Ethnicity Matters

marketingvox.com

Going for gold To reach women, marketers may not consider choosing between soap operas and the NFL when putting together media allocation plans. But they might want to reconsider, according to a BIGresearch study, which found women more likely to be regularly or occasionally watching sports than soap operas, writes sister site MarketingCharts. Whereas 62 percent of women surveyed say they watch sports regularly or occasionally on TV, 42 percent watch soap operas with the same frequency, according to BIGresearch's Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 10, July 07) of 15,439 consumers.

Boomers Don't Retire; They Become their Own Bosses

For many Boomers, retirement is an opportunity to start a business and become their own boss. 15 percent intend to work for themselves until they die,...

marketingvox.com

Acxiom Goes Behavioral for Online Direct Marketing

marketingvox.com

Seeking to mirror offline direct marketing efforts, Acxiom is rolling out a new service combining behavioral targeting and re-targeting features, reports ClickZ. Acxiom will use consumer demographic data on the household level to target ads based on the behavior exhibited by those households and others in that demographic segment. Those who show an inclination toward certain transactions, but have not yet converted on them, will also be re-targeted to drive potential consumers to pull the trigger on the purchase. The re-targeting technology comes from EchoTarget, a network Acxiom acquired just this past September. Ads will be delivered to sites in Acxiom's Relevance X network in the form of display ads, though other formats are planned for the future.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Post-Industrial Needs

Infectuousgreed.com

Here, according to a just-released survey from the Consumer Electronics Association, is what we should perhaps call Maslow's hierarchy of post-industrial needs. It is, in other words, adults and teens Christmas 2007 wish lists:

Rank	Adults	Teens
1	Computers	Clothes
2	Peace & happiness	MP3 player
3	Big screen TV	Video games
4	Clothes	Computer
5	Money	Cell phone

[CEA via Eric]

The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life

By LOUISE STORY

NYTimes.com
Click here for more of the article...

 

STEVE SAENZ used to run a 10K race in 36 minutes. But last spring — 20 years, 2 children and 50 pounds later — he found himself seriously out of shape. A new Web site from Nike, he says, has brought him back on track.

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Classic Nike TV Spot With Michael Jordan

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Classic Nike TV Spot With Michael Jordan and Spike Lee

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Nike Online Ad With English Soccer Player, Wayne Rooney

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Nike Online Ad With Brazilian Soccer Player, Ronaldinho

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Rob Bennett for The New York Times

“We’re not in the business of keeping the media companies alive,” says Trevor Edwards, Nike’s corporate vice president for global brand and category management.

Since April, Mr. Saenz, 53, has been running with a Nike+, a small sensor in his running shoes that tracks his progress on an Apple iPod he carries. After each run near his home in Louisville, Ky., he docks the iPod into his computer and posts details of his run on the Nike+ Web site. There, he has made friends with other runners around the world who post running routes, meet up in the real world and encourage one another on the site.

Nike’s famous swoosh is there all along. For Nike, this is advertising.

“It’s a very different way to connect with consumers,” says Trevor Edwards, Nike’s corporate vice president for global brand and category management. “People are coming into it on average three times a week. So we’re not having to go to them.”