In 1955, Chrysler offered the Dodge LaFemme for female car buyers. It was pink with pink interior and offered other female centric goodies such as a raincoat, rain hat, umbrella, and even a matching purse was available. Essentially the model was an upgrade specific for women. Only about 2,500 of these cars were made and Chrysler only offered them for two years. Although appealing to some, the car did not sell well overall. Read More

Creative marketing communications firm Bozell today announced the promotions of Deanna Meyler, Ph.D. and Duane Siebler to managing partner. Read More

The unemployment rate among people ages 20 to 24 is 13.5%. This number is significantly higher than the approximate 7.8% nationwide. The underemployment rate is theorized to be even higher, but an actual number is hard to pin. One estimate is that 53% of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. In addition, recent graduates have, on average, $25,000 in student loan debt. To marketers, these numbers are discouraging at best. Read More

Lots of different kinds of people love fashion; to watch, to talk about, to wear. Unfortunately, for some, wearing new fashion trends can be difficult during the current economic situation. This is particularly true for Millennials. Many Millennials are just starting their careers and others are having trouble finding jobs. Consequently, it should not be surprising to see more solutions, such as swapping, enabling access to newer fashions. Although the act of swapping clothes with friends has been implemented for generations, Read More

There is still debate as to if we have moved beyond recession. Some say the worst is yet to come and others feel the signs are very good that we have moved on. Meanwhile, many people still feel they need to be thoughtful about how they spend. Read More

We love music and there is a scientific reason why. It creates dopamine in our brains.

No wonder music is so ubiquitous. Certainly musical tastes are influenced by culture, age, and personal preferences, but the outcome of pleasure is universal. Read More

Based on the surprising amount of mobile use during the 2011 holiday season and increasing discussion of showrooming overall, no one should be surprised by the current number of articles discussing mobile for the 2012 holiday season.
So what does this all really look like? I read the other day that more iPhones are sold each day than babies born, worldwide. That seems like a lot to me. And we know that iPhones are only a portion of the smartphone audience. Read More

Facebook has been a social media marketing staple for several years now. Even though distinct returns can seem difficult to measure, depending on campaign goals, we do know there is value in actively and authentically engaging in the space with customers. It’s safe to say that a Facebook presence is expected of many businesses. We continue to see statistics that reinforce the value. Read More

The numbers of people with a smartphone in the United States have reached a tipping point. Recent numbers are hovering between 46 and 48 percent. The number of people who are familiar with QR codes is also rising; I saw an estimate as high as 24% the other day. It’s making more and more sense to implement the cross-channel tool. Read More

Organized retail crime is on the rise and the National Retail Federation has been following its progress for eight years.

It’s a big deal financially for retailers and yet makes sense during economic downturns that people are out seeking deals that inadvertently support organized crime. Interestingly, e-fencing is now more common for the sale of stolen goods than traditional physical fencing places such as pawn shops and flea markets. Read More