something to feel good about

I just got done reading the latest GfK Roper Report on the American consumer. the report covers a wide range of topics from the consumer mood, personal values, technology use, and their perception of "the good life." it's an online survey conducted at the beginning of the year among, 2000 people age 18+

some of the highlights below:

John and Jane Smith are still not feeling confident about the economy and their prospects for the future (18% say that now is a good time to buy the things they want/need vs 22% last year); in addition only 18% of Americans feel that the country is going in the right direction and 1 in 3 is confident about the nation’s future. Why the worry? Think back to earlier this year when we saw continuing traffic declines into restaurants, news of $5/gallon gas prices, and the bust of the subprime market...all of that could have played into this uneasiness and the lack of confidence. Even now, as we are well into the summer, we’re still hearing about some of the same concerns from earlier in the year. So what can marketers do to alleviate some of this apprehension to spend? Maybe give ‘em something that’ll impact their wallet? How many of us are seeing free fuel promotions out there?

However, when asked what type of activity John and Jane Smith has done in the past 12 months and the level of frequency they took part in that particular activity... 89% said dining out and 64% said cooking for fun. I wonder if dining out meant going to grab a value meal at your favorite QSR? Also, could eateries such as Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n Bake Pizza do something to optimize the "cooking for fun" at home idea? or perhaps create a fun twist on Pizza Hut’s Tuscany pasta program where consumers can "prepare" the pasta halfway from their own ovens?

And finally, news last week of the updated Pew Internet & American Life Project sharing out their findings on Home Broadband Adoption 2008 study, headlined for us that ‘adoption stalls for low-income Americans.’ Can you believe it? There are still people out there accessing the internet via dial-up? My mom and dad being 2 of 'em. they just don't need the fast connection. they're not downloading ahem...streaming videos. Of those are still on dial-up, they cite the reasons for not using broadband is due to: availability, price and lack of interest. From the GfK survey, 97% of adults 18+ report accessing the net from home, 49% from work, 17% from WiFi laptop, 12% thru a cell phone. marketers should keep this in mind the next time they develop a Flash-heavy web page for their code-on-cup, code-under-the rim, code on peel n’ win, code on a CD-under the lid, etc. Is the CD under the lid still cool? Sheesh, whatever happened to that 1-hit wonder? We’ve learned this through all of our code-on-cup promotions at the Bell, gotta make it dummy-proof and simple for the masses out there who are dialing up to enter their code. This often came into conflict w/the Flash animation and trick apps that we would want to elevate the brand experience to, however, at the end of the day, the costs to do this type of creative and the strategic decision to “beat year ago” by reaching the most number of people outweighed any need for more trick ways to enter our promotions. for me, what it all should come down to is a simple idea that is transparent to the consumer. flashy bells and whistles can only get you so far. when it comes to creating that relevant brand experience, give 'em something to believe in...something to feel good about.