TREND HUNTER TOP 20 TRENDS OF 2010

Trend Hunter, the largest collection of cutting edge trends, delivers a list of the Top 20 consumer trends for 2010. While some of these may be questionable—honestly, how many consumers will be interested in “modern nomadic living”?—others offer insight into the culture and the minds of consumers.

One notable theme of this list is the still-struggling US economy. Nearly half of the trends listed relate in some way to the ongoing recession. From #20 (Tangible Personalization) to #1 (Next-Besting), it seems that even upscale urban trendsetters are adjusting their behaviors in light of the New Frugality.

DIY Health Care (#12) describes consumers looking for ways to tend to their own health and well-being without the need for a medical professional. The potential downsides of this are obvious (the return of snake-oil salesmen?), but it’s certainly understandable in light of the current health-care debate in the US.

Personalization is another theme. Many of the trends listed relate to consumers’ desire to stand out, to be unique, to feel as though the product choices they make are about them. Emotion-sensitive jewelry, playlists and phones that match your mood? The mood ring is back and upgraded for the 21st Century!

In closing, it might be good to think about #8—Simpletising. In a cluttered world, clarity and simplicity stand out -- something we could all keep in mind.

School's Out for Summer

With the end of the school year, so ends another year volunteering with our Adopt-A-Class.

For those of you not familiar with Adopt-A-Class, it is a wonderful foundation that helps to facilitate personal connections between members of the business community and students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. The goal of the program is to provide positive role models and develop practical and social skills for the students, while building the culture of philanthropy and teamwork for the business.

For the last three years we have been fortunate to work with Ms. Riley’s kindergarten class at Winton Hills Academy. Each year there is a new group of kids, and each year we spend time in the classroom putting on events, and getting to know the kids.

It’s heart-warming when every time we visit the class their faces light up. And every visit is ended with lots of hugs from the kids. You can truly tell that our interaction with the kids is important to them, and quite honestly to us as well.

To end this school year we had a carnival with the kids. We started outside but some rain showers forced us to move inside, but a great time was still had by all! Games were played, prizes were awarded and of course yummy treats were consumed. All the makings of a GREAT carnival!

Here are some pictures of all the fun!

Marshmallow Race

Ring Toss

Balloon Race

Who's Online in America

We’ve been hearing a lot about the US Census Bureau lately, with the national census underway. However, the Census Bureau doesn’t just emerge, cicada-like, every 10 years. They’re collecting and analyzing data about the US population all the time.

A brief look at Census info from October 2009 pertaining to Internet usage provides some interesting observations:

--68% of individuals access the Internet from some location (either inside or outside the home), and 31% of US households have no Internet usage at home. It may be hard for us to imagine in 2010, but yes, roughly one-third of Americans are not on the Internet at all.

--Demographically, the groups with the lowest percentages of Internet access and usage at home are blacks, Hispanics, those over 55, and those with a high school education (or less).

--However, among those groups, the percentages with Internet access somewhere other than home are still relatively high (blacks 68%, Hispanics 64%, 55 and older 63%, high school graduates 66%). The lowest number in this category is for those who are less than high school graduates—only 41% of that group has Internet access outside the home.

--73% of the unemployed have Internet access.

--Interestingly, Alaska has both the highest percentage of individuals with Internet access somewhere (79%) and the lowest percentage of individuals with Internet access at home (57%). Apparently, lots of Alaskans access the Internet outside the home. The Census Bureau doesn’t mention how Alaskan employers feel about that!

It's hard to believe that a sizeable portion of Americans—about one-third—is not online. These are important stats to remember when creating your next marketing campaign. As online marketing is a great tool, but traditional (non-online) methods still serve a valuable purpose and shouldn’t be overlooked or discarded. These stats show that in order to reach the majority of prospective customers, a fully integrated marketing campaign would have the biggest impact.

Supporting Local Schools

At RGI we feel it is important to provide support to our local schools. It’s why we participate in the Adopt-a-Class program. And why we've donate time, money and materials to Scott High School of Taylor Mill for the last 18 years.

As a business we are socially responsible for giving back to our community, whether through volunteering, fundraising or donations. It is our job to pay it forward. And we realize that our support of schools and children helps to enhance their learning experience and provide a positive role model.

And so on this beautiful Friday afternoon, here is a brief visual representation of some of the ways we give back:

Arts and crafts with our kindergartners.

Story time with the kiddies.

New score board for local high school basketball team.

Using Online Marketing to Empower Consumers

FastForward is a joint venture between Google and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (consistently ranked as one of the world’s top institutions for business education). Their YouTube channel features more than 100 videos from industry and academic thought leaders, offering insights and perspectives on how the marketing world has changed—and the implications of those changes for both marketers and consumers.

Here at RGI we believe these insights are excellent starting points for discussions about the current state of CPG marketing—and its future.

Let’s begin with a series of videos addressing online marketing. Several common themes emerge. Online marketing is a means of empowering consumers. As we all know, modern life is, more often than not, very hectic. Marketers must reach consumers in ways that are convenient for them. You have to reach them where they are. Consumers want options.

The first step is finding a way that makes it easy for them to find you. The next step is delivering what they want (choices, convenience, information and/or value). And it all should be done in a “non-interruptive” way, one that isn’t intrusive or demanding. This, of course, is easier said than done! However, those who can do it successfully will establish a new sort of connection or relationship with those consumers. And that remains the goal, even in the brave new world of online marketing—drive more sales, attract new customers and keep them. The more things change . . .

Here are some of the videos we found most interesting and think you will too:


How do online efforts fit into your overall marketing strategy?



What is the role of e-commerce in the next five years for CPG?


What are some trends in moms’ behavior that will increase in the next 5 years?

Our Favorite Commercials

The Monday morning after the Super Bowl is ripe for office water cooler chat about the game, and the commercials. And the RGI office is no exception. And as marketers our attention was turned more towards the commercials, the good and the bad.

Advertisers who paid the estimated 2.6 million for a 30-second spot had the attention of the largest viewing crowd for a television program ever. According to The Nielsen Co. an estimated 106.5 million people watched the Super Bowl, making it the most watched program ever. That’s a lot of people to impress your brand upon.

Overall many RGIers felt the commercials weren’t all that impressive. And even felt a few were pointless, but there were some shining spots and for those we are thankful.

Here’s who impressed a sampling of RGIers:

- With all the controversy surrounding late night TV I found the Dave Letterman with Oprah & Leno spot timely and funny. The only thing better would have been if Conan were included.

- I’d go with the Betty White and Abe Vigoda Snickers spot. When an old lady gets taken out, how can you not vote for that!

- I look forward to the Budweiser with the Clydesdales commercial every year, and this year was not disappointed.

- My favorite was the eTrade commercial at the end where they are on the plane and he is making fun of the other kids dancing. Instant classic!

And the three commercials with the most comments/votes:

1. Doritos Series. Most felt Doritos clearly set out to build brand awareness; the ads were memorable, generated word of mouth buzz and the brand was dominant. Of the series, several people liked the humor factor in the “Underdog” spot. But the top pick was “House Rules” with the boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom. The little boy just won our hearts over!














2. Google: Parisian Love. The simplicity of the ad was an attention getter, and the fact that the 60-second spot took viewers on a complete journey was engaging. And most importantly to the voters for this spot was the brand recognition that it provided.







3. Audi: Green Car. Most felt the ad was a good satire on the very topical “green” effort. And at the same time through the humor, it reinforced the need to make the “green effort” part of the everyday. It also did a good job of showing how Audi is already ahead of the game with the Audi A3 TDI, voted “Green Car of the Year.”








What were your favorites? Which ones do you think missed the mark?

Consumer Research Driving Brand Decisions

In a sea of salad how do you educate the consumer and keep the retailer happy at the same time? And what does aluminum foil have to do with salad? These are some of the points our client CarrieAnn Arias of Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. spoke about at the January Cincy AMA lunch.

Arias provided insight into the process Dole took to "reinvent" their packaged salads, with the ultimate goal of growing the category and providing high-quality, high-flavor salads.

It all started with more than a year of extensive consumer research that found several consumer behaviors that would ultimately guide their direction. One finding was that consumers spent more time shopping the aisle with aluminum foil than they did deciding what type of packaged salad they wanted to purchase. Another insight was that consumers often prepare salads in the same way each time they eat it and don’t often experiment with adding new ingredients or trying new blends.

With these research results in hand, Dole set out to change the product, the message, and the marketing, resulting in all 32 of Dole’s salads and nine salad kits being re-designed. Part of their marketing plan included huge efforts to educate the consumer and the retailers on the different varieties of lettuces and their taste and textures, similar to how consumers have been educated on wine and beer varieties. Part of the effort to educate the consumer was done through social media marketing on both Twitter (@DOLESaladGuide) and Facebook.

After the packaging was complete Dole worked with RGI to create the in-store marketing plan that would promote the salad and continue the consumer education process with all their retail partners.

The end result was an increase in sales of Dole bagged salad and the time consumers spent in the category. According to follow-up research 24% of consumers interacted with POS in-store and the new DOLE Salad Guide, versus 12% prior to the new package.

A great example of how consumer research can positively impact a brand and the bottom line.