Pepper Miller on Black consumer value

Despite worrying statistics about the state of Black Americans, co-author Pepper Miller (What's Black About It?) says that there are other trends that are hopeful signs for the Black community. In an article in the Nov. 16 issue of Advertising Age, she cites three positive developments:

• A growing Black consciousness movement that is quiet but persistent led by Black mega churches and internet organizations such as colorofchange.org.
• The growing economic power of Black females.
• The emergence of "Thrivals," identified by Nat Irvin, "who are dictating a new future for themselves free from the history of victimization and oppression."

Miller is working on a new book about African Americans in the U.S., which I'm sure will contain further insights based on the market research of her firm, The Hunter Miller Group.

Dunkin' Donuts: The Inside Story

The Nov. 27th Morning Edition on NPR featured a story about Dunkin' Donuts new marketing campaign that pits it directly against Starbucks. The program interviewed the chief of strategy for Hill Holiday, the agency that created the new advertising campaigns.

What you didn't learn from the interview is revealed in Dona Vitale's book, Consumer Insights 2.0, which includes a detailed case study of how Dunkin' Donuts did its research and discovered how to differentiate itself from Starbucks and become a national brand.

Consumer Insights 2.0 tells readers how to set up a Consumer Insights department within a company and use its resources to develop new initiatives throughout an entire company. With the new attention to the Dunkin' Donuts campaigns which grew directly out of the work of the Consumer Insights department at Dunkin, other consumer companies may finally get the drift: that a marketing research department which serves a whole company has more power than having numerous departments and divisions do research on their own without integrating the findings.

Green Customer News launches

Local Companies Cooperate to Distribute News About Green Consumers

Ithaca, NY- Nov. 27, 2007 As consumers increase their consciousness about the impact of businesses on the environment, businesses are paying more attention to how to market their products to these more eco-conscious consumers.

To help marketers learn more about their potential “green” customers, Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. today launched a weekly electronic newsletter called GreenCustomerNews in cooperation with Syracuse-based Earthsense.

Earthsense has surveyed 30,000 U.S. adults, focusing on issues of environment and sustainability and their impact on people’s purchase decisions, voting behavior, attitudes toward companies, and personal product choices. The Earthsense Eco-Insights Survey integrates over 240 environmental, health and other databases to provide unique profiles of communities and consumer segments.

GreenCustomerNews uses data from the on-going surveys of Earthsense to help consumer marketers better understand the changing attitudes of U.S. customers on issues that affect the environment and how those changing attitudes affect purchase behavior.

Besides consumer demographics, the electronic version of GreenCustomerNews provides interactive links to resources and examples of the kinds of advertising and products that are resonating with American consumers. Subscribers may also print out a version of the newsletter to share with colleagues.
The challenge for companies in today's business environment is to capitalize efficiently on consumerism in a sustainable manner. Corporate social responsibility is no longer a buzzword. Common business terms such as “triple bottom line” and “balanced scorecard” reflect this shift in focus. According to Amy Hebard, PhD, president and founder of Earthsense, “Companies that focus on the ideals of people, planet, and profit as the three pillars of responsible business tell us that addressing social and environmental issues is not in conflict with their financial goals, and can be critical to long-term corporate success. But they are looking for smart data to help them prioritize and best address stakeholder concerns. Our data help them do exactly that.”

Doris Walsh, president of Paramount Market Publishing, added, “We saw this as an excellent opportunity to make sure that the data being collected by Earthsense is readily available to businesses who need it. By distributing the newsletter electronically, we are making our own effort to cut down on the use of natural resources while making timely and relevant information easily accessible to busy marketers.”
Click here for sample issue and subscription information for GreenCustomerNews.

Bob Berkman, author of The Art of Strategic Listening: Finding Market Intelligence on Blogs and Social Media speaks at conference

Bob Berkman, author of The Art of Strategic Listening: Finding Market Intelligence on Blogs and Social Media is going to speak at the 2008 Connecticut Library Association (CLA) Conference.

2008 CLA Conference

* Date: April 28 - 30, 2008
* Place: Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa
* The 117th Annual Conference will be held Monday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Details will be posted when available!

www.ctlibraryassociation.org