Reviewer Influence

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  It’s well known that consumers trust online reviews.  Doesn’t matter if the person reading the reviews has never met the reviewer.  Rather, the reader feels as though “that’s someone like me…” who can share their experience.  The results of interesting studies that support this behavior have been shared this morning in Fast Company.  And they go a step further to imply that consumers truly care about what others think when they make purchase decisions.  Give these nuggets a nibble:

• A study conducted by Opinion Research found that 61% of consumers said they had checked online reviews, blogs and other online customer feedback before buying a new product or service.
• Even though upwards of 25% of reviews are considered “fake” (written by the brand, written by company staffers, consumers — knowing that they may not be completely true – consumers still believe and trust these reviews.
• Best Seller lists amplify, and lead, consumers’ perceptions around what others think and what they ultimately buy…When teenagers were presented with free music to download in a study, the teens who were privy to others’ opinions were more likely to follow the others’ opinions and download what those influencers had downloaded.  And where this gets interesting is that when the teens were broken up into smaller groups, when they found out which songs were “most popular” among their specific group, these were the songs they chose to download.  And the “most popular”/most downloaded varied by group — although always lead by these “best seller” lists.

The article in Fast Company goes onto conclude that truly, consumers care what others think.  And when consumers have a pre-conceived notion of what’s “cool” in their peer group, that’s what they tend to buy.  Here’s the article if you’d like to take a peek:  http://www.fastcompany.com/1809976/martin-lindstrom-buyologyy-brandwashed-marketing-branding?partner=homepage_newsletter

The article doesn’t take this to the social level, but you could use this as strong support for driving positive buzz, lots of social chit chat, and encouraging consumers to share their opinions for your brand.  Because people want to feel like their choices are the “right” choices.  Hey, c’mon and read the article…all the cool kids are doing it!  TASTY TREND:  Reviews Rule

More Pinterest

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  There’s Pinterest again…being mentioned in the press today with a lil’ 101 tutorial in USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-17/how-to-pinterest-mark-smith/52615856/1

But alas…today’s post isn’t about belaboring the what’s, how’s and why’s, but rather, the what-now and what-else for Pinterest.  Specifically as it relates to marketing.  Go back with me to yesterday, sit at my desk, and read my Facebook newsfeed.  And a post for Threadless on Pinterest comes across.  It’s a sweeps:  re-pin a specific Threadless t-shirt design on Pinterest (which you can also purchase, by the way), and you may be selected to win the t-shirt.  Now sure, it’s simple, but what makes it so darn crunchy is that as marketers and marketing types try and get a hold on what on earth to do with Pinterest, here is a brand not only using it, but driving additional engagement and interest through the channel.  Sorta like a retweet sweeps.  Helps spread the word about a brand to others through influencers, hopes to gain momentum through an incentive, and is quick and easy for the consumer.  I like it!  I like it a lot!  What struck me was the “duh” factor…in that again, while trying to get a hold on the basics of this site, here is an easy, really good way to do more beyond boards and pins.  May I please also add that Threadless is a big first-to-try brand.  So they’re a really good one to friend/fan/follow/like just to see what they’re up to.  That…and they have super cool tees as chosen by their community.  When promotion meets Pinterest…love it!  TASTY TREND:  Social Curation

Wedding Trends? I Do!

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  I admit that I am not within an age range where I attend a lot of weddings.  Although I am happy to have one on my calendar for this coming November later on this year — it’s been such a long while, and this one will be a very happy occasion for a dear friend and her very lucky to-be-husband.  But wedding trends?  Like orange dresses and cupcakes are out, and lilac dresses and candy buffets are in?!  So not on my radar.  Honestly, I don’t even think they were on my radar was I was in that wedding-planning-mode.  However, I did think it quite interesting…the Knot.com has shared their list of the Top 10 Wedding Trends to Watch for 2012.  Their predictions, as are most trends, reflect bigger consumer behaviors and cultural inspirations.  Grab something old and something blue…and read these trends that are borrowed and new:

Snow-White Inspired: Wedding dresses for 2012 are being inspired by Snow White tale themed movies to be released — less Disney animated, and more witch-like.  The dresses are light and airy, yet sexy and mysterious.

Enchanting Flowers: Again, Hollywood is inspiring the floral arrangements for weddings in 2012 with fairy-tale-like soft flowers and woodsy pieces.

Watercolors: The bridesmaid dress palette for 2012 includes soft colors like pink and lilac.  Watercolors are appearing on paper goods such as invitations and place setting details.

Hunger Games Style:  I didn’t understand this reference, so let me clarify:  bachelor and bachelorette parties in 2012 will feature survival style games (as in the Hunger Games apparently), and other very action-oriented activities such as driving race cars or herding animals.  Um…OK….

Bomb Shell Bride: Brides-to-Be will be channeling their inner Marilyn Monroes as they make selections for their make-up, hair, dresses, etc. that are more va-va-voom then subtly shy.  So much for Snow White!

Panoramic Wedding Portrait: Wedding photography is stepping back to the more traditional, less fancy filtered.  And includes at least one panoramic shot of the entire party and guests.

Ritz Ranch: The old west goes upscale as couples in 2012 choose to hold their receptions at very high-end ranches, with a rustic-elegant vibe.  Yee-haw!

When Harry Met Sally Trailers: Wedding videos will now go beyond the day of the event, and into the past, sharing how husband met wife stories ala Harry and Sally.  “I rode up nine extra floors to keep talking to her…” “Nine extra floors…”

Long Sleeves & Lace: Back to dresses…Snow White, Bomb Shells, and also: sheer and sexy but with coverage through lace.  Most dresses for 2012 are predicted to be sleeveless, but long sleeves and lots of lace will also make its way down the aisle.  Again, that fairy tale vibe.  And lastly…

Mega Moons: One destination for your honeymoon is out…lots of exotic, faraway places to make stops and visits are in.  And make sure you document and crowd source must-do’s using social media and apps.

I’m surprised they didn’t cover favors nor food — two of my favorite topics.  I was also surprised that the Pantone color of the year — tangerine tango — didn’t add a lil’ pop in flowers nor in dresses.  But alas…It’s still a makes-you-go-”huh!” find from The Knot, who looks ahead at what designers and vendors are featuring for this year.  TASTY TREND:  Marital Marketing

So Very Pinteresting

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  Clients are asking about.  A button just appeared on the etsy website to share it.  I have my own account to try it out hands-on.  And now I’m passing along the nuggets. It’s Pinterest.  What is it?  How do you use it?  Why should you care?  All excellent questions!  Following me on the Pinterest path…

WHAT:  Pinterest is a social web site.  If you want to get fancy, it’s actually a social curation site.  It’s much like the “like” button you often see for Facebook, e.g., read an article and then “like” it, and that articles then gets referenced or posted onto your Facebook wall and news feed.  Same for Pinterest.  Only this is more visually based.  So think “virtual bulletin board.”  Become a member.  Set up your board themes, e.g., Things I love…Things I want to try…Trends…Really cool stuff…etc.  Your choice of titles.  And then pin images to the boards as you wish.  It’s free and anyone can use it…even brands.  You can add a pin button to your browser to capture the images.  And sites are now just slowly starting to add the button to their share options.  You can also use their mobile app and snap shots of real things you wish to pin.  You also can follow other members’ boards (ala Twitter).

WHEN:  Did this web site start?  Actually in 2008.  But in the past few months it’s gained tremendous buzz and traction.

WHO:  A December report by Experian Hitwise indicated that the site’s total number of visits for the week ending December 17th, 2011 was at 11 million.  To show you just how much it has grown, this is 40x the amount of visits Pinterest had experience just in the comparable period six months before, wow.  comScore has profiled the user as 70% female.

WHY: Should you care when you already have so many other social obligations?!  Well…as marketers, it’s a great, emerging (and free) means of reaching your consumers and sharing interesting content.  Mashable had a terrific slide show this week, sharing 10 brands and how they’re using Pinterest.  It’s an informative, inspirational article for marketing-types to read:  http://mashable.com/2012/01/09/the-top-brands-on-pinterest

You know, as with every new vehicle, it comes with caution in throwing your resources at pursuing the latest “shiny object” in emerging media.  And this is certainly “shiny” — but it’s also free, and it makes a whole lot of sense for female-targeted, visual-centric brands.  Mashable didn’t include Threadless as an example in their slide show, but do check them out too as you play around with Pinterest.  Why?  Because Threadless links it to eCommerce and selling stuff — which for a marketer, is a cool and financially-fulfilling place to bring your consumer.  Again, I encourage you to try it out for yourself and learn hands-on.  You can even follow me, too: look for Lisa Fritts : ) !  TASTY TREND:  Social Curation;  Socially Acceptable

All in One

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Target.  And so when I see something new and interesting (from a marketing perspective, of course) about Target, I feel the need to share. That feeling came to me this past Sunday as I browsed through their latest circular.  On the back page was a big banner:  “Bullseye Bodega.”  Now, I live in a town where there is a nice-sized Hispanic population.  And there are active bodegas in town. So here I am…looking at the circular…taking it to an ethnic place, looking for Goya products and the like.  When really, it’s just Target’s way of defining “one-stop-shop.”  Like a real bodega.  Of course, I had to do a little homework around how they arrived at this concept.  Here is what I found:

• In 2008, the Target Bodega was the name of a pop-up shop concept.  Four designers were selected and they literally took over  small, ethnic, urban grocery stores in Boston and NYC to showcase and sell their clothing, accessories, and beauty products.  But they treated it like a real bodega, with the products living along side of produce and canned goods, and various other sundries.  Jump ahead to a more mainstream version and…
• At the beginning of January (i.e., now), Target typically runs a stock-up sale on household items, bulk items, family-sized items, bonus packs.  They used to call it the “Great Save Event.”  It’s now the “store-within-a-store” concept…i.e., the Bulleyes Bodega.  Again, it’s a one-stop-shop in Target to find what you need for your family.
• This concept goes a tech step further this year, as you can go to the Target web site and print out additional savings; or you can text BODEGA to 827438 in order to score mobile coupons.
• The program has social spread as it’s supported on Facebook, e.g.: “Find the stuff you need & things you want at brag-worthy prices.” And to be honest, I found much of the explanation about this event through blogs.  Particularly coupon and savings bloggers who just love to share good deals.

To me, it’s an interesting creative messaging spin on a stock-up, store within a store sale.  Again, I couldn’t find any specific Hispanic angle to it, coming from Target.  But I assume if Minneapolis (Target’s hometown) knows bodegas, so should most of the US.  And maybe my reaction was a little to hometown biased.  “Bodega” is certainly more breakthrough than “stock up sale,” or the former “great save event.”  In any case…I also, by the way, thought it was interesting how many Target-following bloggers are out there, too.  Folks who write out what’s going on with this company.  What do you think?  Is the word “bodega” a surprise to you, too?  TASTY TREND:  Retailers Rule

iWant iGet

CRUNCHY NUGGETS: Hello and Happy New Year to you!  I hope you’re well and wonderful.  Did you see or hear anything crunchy and interesting over the holidays?  I did…A woman in my Saturday pilates class mentioned that her daughter owned so many gadgets, so her Christmas was very low key, very simple.  Among the gadgets mentioned her daughter already owning was an e-reader.  Flash ahead to just a few days ago when my nine-year-old Son asks me: “What’s a Kindle?”  Apparently, a handful of classmates got Kindles as gifts this holiday season.  And with that, I wondered:  just how prevalent are e-readers for kids?  It seems to make sense as a lower cost alternative to an iPad.  But is this a new “it” tech toy of sorts for today’s young ones?  Here’s what I found:

iWant — According to Nielsen who surveyed kids ages 6 to 12 this past October/November, kids were most interested in iPads (44%), iPod Touches (30%), and iPhones (27%).  Non-iPad Tablet Computers — which could arguably qualify a Kindle in this category (think: the new Kindle Fire) came in at 25%.  And e-Readers were wished for by only 17%.  Now…that’s kids talking, so why not aim high, right?!  But what about the actual purchase…let’s go back a year and see what we can find…

Older Users — Again, according to Nielsen, as of August 2011, the majority of e-reader owners were 55+ (30%), followed by 45-54 (21%), 25-34 (18%).  Now, this survey went as young as 13…so kids really weren’t captured in this research.  And, it doesn’t take into consideration device sharing — which, as a parent, I can tell you is part of the what’s-yours-is-mine mentality of kids.  So, what other nuggets can help answer my question?  Ah…books!

Growth in Younger Readers — I had to step into that time-machine again and look to an article written in the New York Times in February of last year.  Which reflected sales of e-books just after the holidays.  Interestingly, the article notes: “In their infancy e-readers were adopted by an older generation that valued the devices for their convenience, portability and, in many cases, simply for their ability to enlarge text to a more legible size.”  Which supports the older user demo.  But the article also shares a stat from publisher St. Martin’s Press who found that in 2010 young-adult e-books made up about 6% of the total digital sales; and in early 2011, the number was up to 20%.  Now that’s just young adults — teens, tweens.  But the article did share a lot of anecdotal information of children’s increased usage and interest in e-readers.  Here’s the URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/books/05ebooks.html

So…Did I answer my question?  Do I think that e-readers are a must-have for kids?  Statistically, no…I couldn’t find the nuggets to support my quest.  But there is that fine line now between tablet and e-reader…and that user pass along phenom that won’t ever capture and answer my quest *sigh*.  Oh well…it was a fun quest.  And it’s good to be back!  TASTY TREND:  Tech Babies

Happy Holidays, See you 2012

The crunchy goodness will be back in 2012…taking a lil’ rest over the holiday week.

If you need something to keep you busy, be sure to google “let is snow” to get a fun, wintry experience thanks to google and their fun sense of humor!

Wishing you a wonderful season and thanks for reading!

Give and Give Again

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  I am not a fan of re-gifting nor any supposedly-funny-iterations-of-re-gifting, e.g., Yankee Swap, White Elephant, etc.  However, I am a fan of sharing crunchy nuggets.  And certainly, re-gifting has its share of consumer behavior statistics.  Seriously, here they are, brand new just for you, with lots of thought put behind them…

Clothing is #1 – The most commonly re-gifted item is clothing.  Followed by Housewares, Gift Baskets, Picture Frames, and Jewelry.  Something to think about when you try on that sweater you got as a gift…hmm…

Co-Workers are the recipients – 41% of re-gifting recipients are people’s co-workers.  Again, something to think about when that sweater came from your colleague…hmm….But do people feel that re-gifting is acceptable?

During the holidays = Yes, it’s OK – While most consumers feel that re-gifting is acceptable only “sometimes” (58%), the majority (79%) say it’s “socially acceptable” during the holiday season, versus only 21% who say “never.”

What I’ve learned:  Clearly, I’m in the minority.  I’m also surprised that Candles aren’t on this list (very generic gift).  I do hope this has brought something new to you, too.  Especially if you work on any of the re-gifted categories and are looking for reasons to differentiate (“we’re the –clothing retailer for example– that doesn’t get re-gifted,” e.g.).  TASTY TREND:  Spend Trends

Joy to the World

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I’d share an interesting tid bit of information I heard recently about the happiest countries in the world.  The Legatum Institute — who shares the list of happiest (and saddest) countries has studied 40 years of data and outcomes in determining what makes a country “happy.”  Their measurement system zeros in on eight areas as being the key to indicating prosperity: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom, and social capital. And for the third year in a row, at the top of the list : Norway. Why?  Combine Norway’s per capita GDP of $54,000 a year; with the second-highest level of satisfaction with their standards of living (95% say they are satisfied with the freedom to choose the direction of their lives); and 74% of Norwegians say that other people can be trusted.  Other countries on the list include: #2 Denmark; #3 Australia; #4 New Zealand; and #5 Sweden.  The U.S., by the way, is actually #10, so cheer up!  Only two, non-African countries are on the “saddest” list (Yemen and Pakistan) — again, keeping in mind the criteria of what’s considered the source of happiness.

Yet another reason to feel grateful, right?!  Here’s an article from Forbes that shares the complete lists: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mef45ejmi/the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-2/#content  At the very least, feel content with a little more knowledge now in your brain.  TASTY TREND: Temperature Check

Green Monday

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  ‘Tis the season to coin terms for consumer behavior.  And today’s phrase:  Green Monday.  Apparently, this phrase was created by eBay in 2007 when they noticed a shopping spike on that day around their online holiday sales numbers.  Green Monday is the second Monday in December when online, holiday shopping increases as consumers start shifting into a little bit of a panic.  Shoppers want to make sure their online gift picks can be shipped without extra costs.  Now…it’s not the biggest sales day of the season online — apparently, this whole week sees its share of last minute, virtual basket rings.  Particularly as “Free Shipping Friday (12/16)” comes around. Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving Day, and Black Friday, likewise, all drive online holiday sales spikes.  And according to comScore, this year is up 15% to date overall in terms of online holiday shopping sales.

Now…Can I just say that no where can I find why “green.”  Color of money, I’m assuming.  But why not “Manic Monday” or “Shopping Mania Monday” or “Digital Dash Monday”?!  If you know, do tell, thanks.  TASTY TREND:  Here and Now; Today’s Shoppers