At the Media Research Group conference yesterday, Google told us how it’s going to be: unveiling a new GfK-powered planning and ROI tool that seems too good to be true, and challenging traditional research agencies to stop gawping and keep up.

The gawping is understandable. Researching audiences for planning, and campaign effectiveness have always been largely separate activities. TGI has been unchallenged for 40 years on target group planning data, while Millward Brown et al have established the standard for post-campaign evaluation. All that may be about to change. Following a successful joint venture with Google in Germany, GfK are set to launch a new UK research tool. It’s a panel, where 10,000 repondents’ usage of a full range of online and offline media is tracked, along with their purchasing behaviour.

The possibilities seem too good to be true – identifying a target audience of category users (like TGI), being able to do a cross-media R&F plan (like TouchPoints), measuring the behavioural or attitudinal response of the same target, and feeding back into multi-media campaign optimisation (like SuperPanel or trackers). This will strike a chord with advertisers, who haven’t stopped telling us for the last decade that they want integrated research and insights. Crucially, they may now be able to get them cheaper than the old siloed approach.

Intriguingly, Google haven’t declared a financial involvement in the venture: the UK market is much more wary of media owner-driven research than they are in Germany. I hope it works: it will raise everyone’s game.

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/jamessmythe/archive/2009/12/02/google-takes-media-research.aspx

These is words from the Arch Bishop, some call it six up
The Betty Crocker, marvel cake stakes admissor
Wax janitor, black Jack Mulligan from Canada
Slam dance, tarantula style, youse a fan of the
Monopoly king, Slavic poetry
Carnegie Hall’s off the hook, let’s push through the armory

With lyrical quotes like that, I don’t know why I even have to bother explaining this new Slangology theme for any of you. Anyhow, for almost a decade I’ve wondered what the hell GFK was talking about when he mentioned “blackjack mulligan from Canada”.

I had convinced myself it was some sort of clothing or garment brand, perhaps a winter toque, a down vest, or suede leather jacket that Ghost picked up in Canada or stumbled across in the earlier Wu days. 10 years and a quick google search later, I’m pretty sure he’s talking about Blackjack Mulligan, a former pro wrestler (from the WWF), who by the way, isn’t from Canada… he’s from somewhere down in Texas.

Wizard of Poetry, I tell y’az!

In mod constant in ultimul an, a crescut numarul romanilor care considera ca situatia financiara a familiei lor este mai rea decat cu 12 luni in urma.

Astfel,potrivit unui studiu GfK, 63% dintre romani cred ca aceasta s-a inrautatit comparativ cu octombrie 2008, mai mult cu 33 de procente fata de anul trecut. Daca in urma cu un an aproximativ o treime dintre ei spuneau despre situatia lor financiara ca arata mai bine in comparatie cu anul anterior, doar 9% mai afirma acelasi lucru in octombrie 2009. Romanii sunt printre cei mai pesimisti est europeni in aceasta directie.

In Polonia si Cehia situatia este perceputa in termeni negativi de o parte mult mai mica a populatiei (33% in Polonia si 34% in Cehia), iar in Bulgaria acest segment se situeaza si el sub cel inregistrat in Romania (52%).

Atunci cand vine vorba despre perspectivele financiare pentru urmatorul an, doar 15% dintre romani se declara optimisti, procent semnificativ mai mic daca il comparam cu cel de acum 12 luni cand se situa la 29%.

In ceea ce priveste situatia economica generala a Romaniei, peste 83% din populatie resimte o inrautatire fata de anul trecut in aceeasi perioada, dar sunt ceva mai putin pesimisti pentru urmatorul an, 56% declarand ca se asteapta la o agravare a situatiei.

Aproape doua treimi dintre romani considera ca preturile produselor sunt mai ridicate fata de acum 12 luni. Cat priveste evolutia preturilor in urmatorul an, romanii cred ca acestor vor creste intr-un ritm mult mai alert (31%) sau cel putin la fel ca in ultimul an (36%).

Peste 82% dintre romani cred ca in urmatoarele 12 luni somajul va creste, comparativ cu octombrie 2008, cand doar 34% aveau aceasta temere. Destul de ingrijorati se arata si bulgarii, 74% dintre ei declarand ca se asteapta la o crestere a somajului in perioada urmatoare, dar si cehii cu 70% sau polonezii cu 64%.

Atunci cand se refera la investitiile in bunuri de folosinta indelungata, 63% dintre cei intervievati nu considera ca este o perioada potrivita, iar aproape 80% cred ca nu este un moment propice pentru a pune bani deoparte. Acelasi procent de persoane declara ca este putin probabil sa economiseasca bani in urmatoarele 12 luni.

Rezultatele de anul acesta in privinta economisirii sau a intentiei de economisire sunt comparabile cu cele inregistrate in 2008, ceea ce arata, cel putin la nivel declarativ, un apetit scazut al romanilor pentru economisire si inainte de criza si in timpul crizei. Si la acest capitol, romanii par sa o duca cel mai greu, comparativ cu vecinii nostri. 22% dintre ei spun ca trebuie sa se imprumute ca sa se poata descurca, in vreme ce doar 9% dintre bulgari apeleaza la alte surse de finantare, 8% dintre polonezi si 3% dintre cehi.

Informatiile provin din Barometrul de Incredere a Consumatorului, studiu cofinantat de Comisia Europeana si realizat lunar de GfK Romania, iar datele sunt reprezentative pentru populatia Romaniei in varsta de 15 ani si peste, esantionul fiind de 1000 de persoane.

sursa:

By Joel Makower
Published November 09, 2009

http://greenbiz.com/blog/2009/11/09/green-consumers-and-recession-it-really-different-time

How have consumers’ green shopping habits changed during these tough economic times?

There are at least a couple schools of thought: One, that green consumerism has gotten steamrolled by the recession, viewed as a luxury no longer affordable; the other, that green shopping has endured as consumers go back to basics, rethinking the need to consume, redefining what it means to be fulfilled, and becoming less wasteful and more conscious of the impact of their purchases.

So, which is it? Is a green shopping ethic alive and well, or has “saving the earth” taken a backseat to “saving the day?”

In search of answers, I recently tracked down Kathy Sheehan, senior vice president, and Tim Kenyon, senior market analyst, at GfK Roper. For nearly two decades, GfK (formerly Roper Starch) has been studying green consumer habits.

GfK’s principal product is the mostly annual Green Gauge, which it describes as a “long-term syndicated study of consumer attitudes and behaviors towards the environment.” Green Gauge was the first, in 1990, to illustrate the “many shades of green consumers” through its market segmentation: True-Blue Greens, Greenback Greens, Basic Browns, and the like.

In advance of our conversation, Sheehan and Kenyon sent me three talking points about today’s consumers, one of which was titled “It’s different this time.” It stated that “past recessions had a much greater impact on environmental attitudes and behaviors.”

That was where our conversation began.

“When you look at people’s concerns in the U.S., as well as globally, yes, their concerns about the economy have gone up,” said Sheehan. “But it hasn’t been at the expense of the awareness and concern about the environment.” In fact, she said, “The recession has almost been a catalyst to being green.” Sheehan explained that consumers are looking harder at energy- and money-saving measures, for example, taking advantage of rebates and other incentives.

But that’s not the only difference. Another is that premium pricing for green products is a thing of the past, at least for mainstream consumers, says Sheehan. That syncs with the boon in less-expensive “house” brands of groceries, and in the continued profitability of Walmart and other discounters compared to their more midmarket counterparts. Except for a small niche of well-off consumers, people interested in buying green simply won’t tolerate paying extra.

Given this, I asked, does being a green shopper these days extend only to the point that it saves money, such as in buying energy-efficient products? “For a majority of mainstream consumers, and especially given the economic climate that we’re in, I think it does have a lot more to do with the personal benefit,” said Kenyon.

That’s understandable. Tough times lead consumers to make tough choices. But here’s where Sheehan’s and Kenyon’s analysis stopped me in my tracks. As Kenyon explained: “What’s interesting is that when you look at and compare some of the attitudes and behaviors in the U.S. to other developed markets, the U.S. is actually more like a developing market in terms of the way they think and behave green.”

Say what?

Kenyon elaborated. “What we see in more developed countries is that, yes, there is the idea of having a personal benefit, but there is a greater sense of altruism when you’re behaving green. In the U.S., it has more to do with the personal benefit as opposed to having some sort of general sense that we have to save the planet.”

I wanted to be sure I understood. “So, in a developing economy, there’s much more of a personal self-interest involved in making green purchasing choices, and less emphasis on the greater good, and that’s similar to what you’re seeing in the U.S.?

Replied Kenyon, “That’s exactly what we’re saying.”

There you have it. American consumers may have more in common with their counterparts in Chad, Chile, and China than one might ever have imagined.

GfK’s latest research also indicates that the recession may be leading Americans to let businesses off the hook in addressing their environmental impacts. In its most recent semiannual “core wave” survey of 4,000 consumers, it found that “being environmentally responsible” ranked last in a list of five qualities of what it means for companies to be “responsible,” behind providing good jobs, protecting workers, producing quality products, and charging reasonable prices. In most developed markets, such as Western Europe, “being environmentally responsible” ranks second or third.

Moreover, when asked who should be taking the lead in addressing environmental problems, business again ranked last, with only 32 percent of Americans naming it as their first or second choice of who should be responsible, behind the federal government (46 percent) and individuals (39 percent). Says Kenyon: “It’s no longer this idea of going green at the expense of some other issues.”

None of this exactly shocked me — though the fact that personal responsibility trumps business responsibility seems noteworthy — and it’s generally consistent both with my unscientific observations as well as the hardcore survey research done by my colleagues as part of GreenBiz.com’s recently launched Green Confidence Index, which found similar distrust for companies and a growing reliance on government for solutions, but still showed that green hasn’t gone away during the recession, having become embedded in the marketplace.

So, is it really different this time? Not so much. In fact, I’m amazed how American attitudes toward green shopping aren’t that different than they were nearly 20 Earth Days ago. As was true in the early 1990s, people today tell pollsters overwhelmingly that they want to be part of the solution, but that they won’t budge much more than an inch to do so.

As I’ve been saying lately on the stump: When it comes to “change,” Americans love the noun, hate the verb.

59% van de Belgische mannen koopt zijn slips en boxers zelf. Dat blijkt uit een panelonderzoek van Gfk in opdracht van Triumph International (Sloggi, HOM). Nederland volgt ons op de voet met 56%, de Fransen en de Italianen bengelen dan weer aan de staart met respectievelijk 37 en 30%. Vooral mannen tussen 25 en 49 is onderbroekonafhankelijk. Een Brits onderzoek ziet vooral 19 tot 36-jarige mannen zelf hun ondergoed kopen.

4 op de 10 kiezen resoluut voor een merk, terwijl slechts 30 procent van de vrouwen een merkslip koopt voor haar man. Een kwart van de mannen geeft zelfs meer uit dan hun vrouw.

Belgische man kiest zelf z’n onderbroek, Het Belang van Limburg, 13.11.2009

Uit de studie in opdracht van Triumph International – een van ’s werelds grootste lingeriefabrikanten en uitgever van merken als Sloggi en HOM – blijkt dat 59 procent van de Belgische mannen zelf kiest met welk ondergoed hij zijn partner zal verrassen. In vergelijking met vijf andere West-Europese landen (zie grafiek) is dat een opsteker. Zo koopt nog altijd 70 pocent van de Italiaanse vrouwen het ondergoed voor hun wederhelft.

De geëmancipeerde Belg kiest niet alleen zelf zijn ondergoed, hij gaat voor modieuze en stijlvolle lingerie. Bij liefst 64 procent van de mannen tussen 25 en 49 jaar verdwijnen de traditionele slips uit de kast en komer er strakke tricot boxers in de plaats.

Vrouwen hechten weinig belang aan het logo dat op het ondergoed van hun partner te lezen staat. Mannen doen dat wel en schaffen zich resoluut merkondergoed aan. Hierdoor geven ze 25 procent meer geld uit dan wanneer de vrouwen voor hun ondergoed kopen.

Der digitale Videorecorder sollte der Totengräber der Fernsehwerbung sein und damit das Ende des kostenfreien TV einläuten. Dies scheint sich nun als unzutreffend herauszustellen: knapp die Hälfte aller Zuschauer sehen Werbung auch denn, wenn sie eigentlich vorspulen könnten. Hm?

Die New York Times zitiert einen Vorstand von NBC mit den Worten “It’s completely counterintuitive,” und trifft damit auch meine erste Reaktion. Denn einer der beiden wesentlichen Gründe, warum ich seit über einem Jahrzehnt nur noch aus der Konserve TV-glotze ist doch die Möglichkeit, Ferrero und deren Wer-hat-die-Längste-Werbung komplett aus meinem Leben zu verbannen. Der zweite Grund ist für mich die Unabhängigkeit vom Programmschema.

Allerdings muss ich auch gestehen, dass ich bei mancher Werbung, die ich nur skip-weise wahrnehme hängenbleibe und mir diese explizit und tatsächlich auch mehrfach ansehe. Meine Ansprüche an den Unterhaltungswert solcher Filmschnipsel mögen höher sein, als bei anderen. Die Ergebnisse von Nielsen nach denen sich 46% der relevanten Zielgruppe von 18 bis 49 auch die aufgezeichnete Werbung ansehen, deuten darauf hin, dass für viele Nutzer der Hauptgrund für einen DVR in der Unabhängigkeit vom Programmschema liegt und eben nicht im Ausblenden von ‘Produktinformationen’.

Die GFK ist leider noch vollkommen unfähig, entsprechende Zahlen zu veröffentlichen. Nach meiner Meinung ist sie sogar unfähig, diese Zahlen zu erheben. Denn das bestehende Setup (allein die Fernbedienung aus Nürnberg ist eine Katastrophe!) eines Panel-Haushalts müsste komplett umgestellt werden, damit DVRs überhaupt erfasst werden könnten. Und selbst dann würden nach meiner Meinung keinerlei valide Daten erhoben werden können, da die Usability der DVR-Lösung einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Art und Weise der Nutzung der Funktionen haben dürfte. Aber, hey! Es geht ja gar nicht um valide Daten, die müssen ja nur vergleichbar sein …

Sowohl NLP als auch die Gewaltfreie Kommunikation nach Marshall Rosenberg streben im Alltag einen respektvollen Gesprächsstil an. Sie haben unterschiedliche Entstehungskontexte, berühren sich jedoch in Menschenbild und Methode.

Beide gehen von einer positiven Absicht der Gesprächspartner aus. Störungen in der Kommunikation betrachten sie vor allem als eine Verwechslung von Beobachtung und Interpretation der Beobachung.

Insbesondere im Konflikt beziehen Menschen sich oft nicht auf das konkret Beobachtete. Stattdessen äußern sie Deutungen und die für sie damit verbundenen Emotionen. Die Folge beim Gegenüber: Verständnislosigkeit und weitere Irritationen.

NLP und die Gewaltfreie Kommunikation schulen nicht nur die Gabe, gut zu beobachten und Deutungen von Verhalten sorgfältig zu überprüfen. Sie fördern auch die Fähigkeit, Gefühlen und Bedürfnissen einen angemessenen Ausdruck zu verleihen.

Hippa to the hoppa and ya just don’t stoppa.

Another R.I.P. to Roc Raida!

Over the last decade the occasional anecdote has been dropped into presentations I’ve seen about either the resurgence of a media format, or the fact that formats don’t die, they simply multiply.

Sadly in the case of vinyl, the music seems likely to come to a halt in the not-too-distant future; at least in the UK. For while 7″ singles did go through a minor revival in the mid-noughties. Annual sales in the UK fell by more than 50% in 2008; dropping to below half a million units according to the BMI.

BPI Reported UK 7\

The story is a lot worse for 12″ singles; they have dropped from selling 4 million units in 2000 down to less than 254,000 sales in 2008.

BPI Reported UK 12 Inch Vinyl Sales

The final death for new vinyl is perhaps indicated by sales of LP records. As LP’s have long been the format of choice for audiophiles, including blues, jazz and classical music fans. Sadly the warmth and audio-quality added to the music by the format, when married to a decent deck, amp and set of speakers, hasn’t slowed the slide from over 750,000 units in 2000 down to a little over 208,000 in 2008.

BPI Reported UK LP Vinyl Sales

So is the vinyl music format clinically dead? If it were a person, would it be on a plane from London to Geneva, to an arranged assisted suicide?

Well, like many things, the story isn’t quite that simple. If the reason sales of new vinyl have been dying were the introduction of the CD, followed by a coup de grâce from the MP3. Son of MP3, free digital music channels (e.g. Last.FM), or the competing subscription based channels (e,g, Spotify), may be causing an aberration. Because people are listening to more music than ever before.

Here’s the theory: People are listening to far wider and more eclectic music collections now; more regularly.

While this passion for collecting music fuels the search for the new and latest act. It also means some people are listening to far more previously released music. They are (re-)discovering old music, cared for music, treasured music; music that’s a bit worn and lived in. Physical music, made tactile and often with great artwork on the sleeve.

Nostalgia also plays a part. The recession has seen the revival of many comforting brands, products (and bands) that were popular in the past.

Even back in 2008 GfK were reporting an uplift in record turntable sales (highlighted under the audio separates section). This was a modest growth (to £10m in the UK market) at a time when personal MP3 player sales were down year-on-year.

Even big new tech goods such as digital audio streaming clients/servers only reported £16m in sales in the same report. And the average price per item of these shiny new MP3 juke boxes is over double that of turntables.

It seems vinyl may yet find a second life as a purer source for treasured and rare music. Vinyl is being collected again. Second-hand it maybe, which won’t help the BMI record any growth in chart-related sales. But actual sales volume for vinyl (new and second-hand), as well as the amount of music played on vinyl, could well go through a leap and then a modest revival. At least for the next few years.

The leap itself is likely to be in part from the increasing number of people transferring collections from one media format to another. 35mm to jpg, VHS to DVD, DVD to HD. Leaving LP’s and singles to transfer via turntables with USB connectors to MP3 or similar digital options.

But dusting off an old collection of something as treasured as vinyl music, whether you bought it new or second-hand, has an addictive and unique sensory quality about it. Particularly if you listen and experience the music whilst transferring it to digital files. A guilty pleasure if you will.

And so more people may find life in Hi-Fi yet. At least until that annoying scratch reminds you why you settle for less with your iPoded tunes.

According to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, vinyl sales were up 50% through May of this year in the US and Canada. So vinyl is on the rebound again across the pond.

Read more from Jessica Whitta: HERE

Visit BMI for their UK vinyl chart sales data: HERE

What HiFi Industry Insider Report Summary: HERE

Peste 2,7 milioane de telespectatori la nivel urban au urmărit la TVR 1 meciul Franţa – România, din cadrul preliminariilor pentru Campionatul Mondial din 2010, conform datelor furnizate de GfK România şi prelucrate de Colectivul Analiză şi Cercetare al TVR (copyright: ARMA). 

Partida Franţa – România, transmisă în direct de TVR 1 în intervalul orar 22:00 – 23:54, a înregistrat un rating mediu la nivel urban de 13,4% şi o cotă de piaţă medie de 40%, fiind urmărită de 2.709.000 de telespectatori. La nivel naţional, meciul a avut un rating mediu de 15,1% şi un share mediu de 42,8%, fiind urmărit de 1,7 milioane de telespectatori.

Minutul „de aur” a fost înregistrat la 23:53, când fotbaliştii antrenaţi de Răzvan Lucescu au fost urmăriţi, la nivel naţional, de peste 3,1 milioane de telespectatori, iar la nivel urban, de 2.102.000 de oameni.

Telespectatorii au aşteptat începerea partidei de fotbal pe TVR 1, urmărind finala concursului din cadrul Festivalului Cerbul de Aur. La nivel urban, TVR 1 fost lider şi în intervalul 20:09 – 21:11, cu un rating mediu de 4,8% şi un share de 14,3%.

www.tvr.ro

Brollic scholars...

Got this sampler for Ghostface’s upcoming Wizard of Poetry: Emerald City album in the mail, so I thought I’d share. I ain’t even mad at the Lloyd and John Legend featured joints, though they are snippets. Meanwhile, Paisley Fontaine’s storytelling is in effect on “Forever” and it’s obvious what groove he’s spittin’ over on “Computer Love.”

Also, isn’t it supposed to be spelled Ghost Deini? Lastly, GFK is probably the only MC who can get away with calling his R&B flavored Hip-Hop album The Wizard of Poetry.

Ghostface Killah The Wizard of Poetry Sampler [Sharebee]

TRACKLIST

“Baby” f/ Raheem “Radio” DeVaughn
“He’s A Gonner (I Got Ya)” f/ Lloyd (snippet)
“Let’s Stop Playin’” f/ John Legend (snippet)
“Forever”
“Computer Love”

RELATED:

Ghost Deini in Sound

GFK Speaks On Doing An Album With Rae & Meth [Rap Radar]

Ghostface, I Love You [What Would Thembi Do?]

Ghostface Talks Style [Street Level]

PICS: Ghostface ft. Raheem DeVaughn – Baby (Video Shoot) [Nah Right]

Entgegen den Prognosen und Erwartungen vieler Experten ist für die deutschen Einzelhändler das erste Halbjahr überraschend mit einem Umsatzrückgang zu Ende gegangen.

Reuters schreibt:
“Die größten Umsatzeinbußen mussten im Juni Kauf- und Warenhäuser hinnehmen. Sie hatten 5,7 Prozent weniger in den Kassen als vor einem Jahr. Ähnlich schlecht lief es für Bäcker, Fleischer und andere Lebensmittel-Fachhändler. Sie meldeten ein Minus von 4,1 Prozent.”

Der Branchenverband HDE erwartet trotz dem von der GfK ermittelten positiven Konsumklima eine Fortsetzung des negativen Trends.

standortoptimiertes Marketing mit einer Standortanalyse

Haben auch Sie die Folgen der Krise derart zu spüren bekommen? Dann könnten Sie z.B. über eine Optimierung Ihres Marketings nachdenken.
Eine Möglichkeit besteht darin, ein standortoptimiertes Marketing mit Hilfe einer Standortanalyse zu forcieren. Eine solche Standortanalyse kann anhand einer starken räumlichen Differenzierung sehr deutlich aufzeigen, wo innerhalb Ihres Einzugsgebietes das meiste Kundenpotenzial schlummert, bzw. wohin Sie Ihr Marketing fokussieren sollten.
Auf diese Weise erreichen Sie Ihre Zielgruppe gezielt, ohne die Werbung willkürlich über Ihr Einzugsgebiet zu verteilen. Sie aktivieren also zusätzliches Kundenpotenzial und sparen gleichzeitig Kosten.
Der Online Standortcheck als “Geomarketing für jedermann” ermöglicht Ihnen diese Optimierung.

El tercer pack de mapas descargables para Call of Duty: World at War ya tiene fecha de llegada. Activision y los estudios de desarrollo Treyarch han confirmado que el nuevo contenido descargable estará disponible a partir del mes de agosto. Este pack War incluirá tres nuevos escenarios (Battery, Revolution y Breach), desarrollados conjuntamente con Certain Affinity, así como un nuevo mapa zombie (Der Riese).

Con el pack de mapas 3 de Call of Duty: World at War Activision espera conseguir el mismo éxito que con sus dos primeras ediciones, que han vendido más de cuatro millones de copias. Según cifras de The NPD Group, Charttrack y Gfk, Call of Duty® ha vendido más de 11 millones de unidades en todo el mundo.

Muito se fala da credibilidade dos publicitários. Uma pesquisa realizada pela GFK, de Janeiro a Março desse ano, mediu a confiança do público nos profissionais de determinados setores. Segue a lista:

1. Bombeiros
2. Carteiros
3. Médicos
4. Professores (Ensino Fundamental e Médio)
5. Jornalistas
6. Pesquisadores de Mercado / Exército
7. Organizações de Proteção ao Meio Ambiente
8. Profissionais de Marketing
9. Publicitários
10. Instituições de Caridade
11. Juízes / Instituições Religiosas
12. Diretores de Grandes Empresas
13. Advogados
14. Funcionalismo Público
15. Sindicatos
16. Policiais
17. Executivos de Bancos
18. Políticos

Nenhuma novidade quanto as últimas posições. Quanto as primeiras, talvez carteiro. Mas o que chama atenção mais uma vez é a mediocridade com que as profissões de Marketing e Publicidade são vistas. Essa visão não vai desaparecer até o mercado se ajustar. Os profissionais de Publicidade e Marketing mudarem o cenário? Em parte. Não podemos fazer tudo sozinhos, pois que a verdade seja dita, nós da área sabemos bem que muito de errado acontece por conta das anunciantes.

Fonte: Meio & Mensagem, Mundo do Marketing