ocial networking games are the latest phenomenon in the gaming industry. In fact, one out of every five Americans over the age of six has played a social network game at least once. That’s over 60 million Americans in total, and an average of 10 percent spent an astounding $2.2 billion in 2009 and the market is anticipated to grow to over $6 billion in 2013. Continue reading
“I wish I could find a healthy alternative to Captain Crunch.” “I wish I could try that watch on before I spend $120.” Oh, the plight of the consumer. Entrepreneurs are merging the digital and real worlds to find creative and innovative solutions to these problems. From digital dressing rooms, to augmented reality watches to digital piggy banks, innovative entrepreneurs are developing products that create a more intuitive user experience. Continue reading
Innovative companies are leveraging augmented reality to teach astronomy, combining food with learning, developing adaptive algorithms that understand individual learning preferences and expanding upon Mrs. Frizzle’s Magic Schoolbus. New education initiatives are helping children, high-schoolers, college students and graduates learn in ways that are most conducive their individual learning patterns. It’s about injecting creativity into education, whether manifested in technology or more traditional, person-to-person environments. Continue reading
Ever want to have the thrill of being a drug dealer, smuggling cargo across the border or be kidnapped by terrorists? There is an undercurrent of people that want to explore, have fun and seek new adventures and discoveries. They range from giving spontaneous gifts via text message to discovering and promoting Indie authors to being kidnapped for 24 hours. Continue reading
What are the top search results for your name? If it’s a link to a MySpace pic of you drunk at a college frat party 5 years ago, you might want to spend time modifying your image before applying to jobs. The same goes for CEOs, other executive leaders and politicians. Personal branding, as expert Dan Schwabel can attest, is becoming a necessity as competition for jobs, new business and voters intensifies. Continue reading
Consumers are dictating what they see and when they see it, which makes product and service customization a natural next step. Consumers want to blend their creativity with purchases and define products as uniquely made for them. Customization is permeating, not just in consumer industries, but in all aspects of business — from the client meetings to finding new relationships and even solving that terrible conundrum of finding the perfect pair of jeans. Continue reading
Checking into a Doubletree for holiday discounts, logging into a cocktail lounge, a key-chain with a lifetime of exclusive offers are just a few novel ways brands are making consumers feel uniquely cared for. VIP is usually synonymous with high-brow luxury, but more “economy” brands are leveraging technology and consumers’ desire to feel distinct from their peers. Here are several cutting-edge luxury and economy brands thinking outside of the box to make their clientele feel like Very Important People. Continue reading
Exchanging $50 for a shirt you really really want is a fair trade, right? Not exactly. Some consumers are seeking more from brands than a simple exchange of currency for goods. Yes, loyalty programs, such as a free cup of coffee for every 10 you drink, have been around forever. But that might not be enough. Brands are pushing their creativity to develop fun, exciting new ways to give consumers a pat on the back to say, “Thank you, you’re really special.” A designer brand is rewarding fans willing to pass on happy blog comments with merch, FourSquare-like companies rewarding top contributors with branded gear, and vending machines are rewarding mental agility. Continue reading
Baseball great Ty Cobb once said “Speed is a great asset; but it’s greater when it’s combined with quickness – and there’s a big difference.” Society has increasingly demanded more service, more quickly. There is a whole new market of innovation and instant access service that are being introduced to the world. Continue reading
According to research by the nonprofit Institute Local Self-Reliance, if half the nation’s employed population spent $50 a month on local brands, it would pour $42.6 billion into the retail economy. For every $100 spent at a locally owned store, $45 remains in the local economy, compared with about $13 per $100 spent at a big box store. Organizations and consumers are increasingly signing onto a local brand mission to encourage local spending. About 130 cities or regions now host “buy local” groups, representing about 30,000 businesses — up from 41 in 2006. Continue reading
What does it mean to be sustainable? Is it about buying a Toyota Prius, eating whole grain, shopping locally, or buying used clothing? Integrating a sustainable mission into your business, purchases or diet is all in an effort to increase the longevity of our bodies, communities, companies and environment. More and more, consumers and companies are injecting creativity and innovation into their pursuit of longevity, by creating business models and lifestyles with a focus on sustainability — whether that’s extending the life-cycle of clothing, introducing fresh, greenery to advertising or cleaning up a polluted emotional environment. Continue reading
Walking, the first mode of transport, is the most sustainable way to get around, obviously we can’t always walk from point A to point B. Sustainable mobility or transport is evolving quickly as consumers are increasingly demanding modes of transport should be faster, more innovative and green as well. Mobility with low impact on the environment is changing from consumer to business and even government. Continue reading
How do you find a real superhero? How do you get a well of volunteers? How do you increase communication and commerce in economically depressed areas of the world? These are questions creative and enterprising entrepreneurs are answering with new business models and an underlying set of good values. By encouraging young people to volunteer, recognizing good-doers and go-getters, entrepreneurs and everyday individuals are paying forward and re-enforcing good values for generations to come.
Read more about the Good Values trend
As we enter 2011, there are seeds of renewed optimism. Consumer confidence is off its lows and a new consumer is emerging, one who will pursue wants and needs on her own terms. In response to tomorrow’s consumer, creative and business-savvy entrepreneurs are innovating to form volunteer mobs, crowdsource maintenance of local waterways and much more. Below, we share 11 Market Trends for 2011, with a bonus trend at the end!
Read more about 2011 market trends
What is your New Year’s resolution? Maybe it’s going to the gym more often, or eating healthier, or spending less. Why not have a New Year’s resolution for digital marketing? Surely, we have developed bad habits over the past year. Maybe it’s tweeting for tweeting sake, hoping someone will hear you and try your product, or maybe it’s focusing all your time and energy on PPC keywords and not ad creative.
Learn several ways to be more efficient with your time in the new year.
