Ahead of the curve: Levi’s offers jeans by shape, not size

September 2, 2010 – 8:38 am

thumbnailby Tory Davis

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • One size has never fit all. Levi’s has redesigned the way it sizes jeans: Curve ID is a global women’s denim line made to fit a woman’s shape and proportions, not a size number (WWD.com 8.9.10).
  • The new approach acknowledges that women who wear the same size often have radically different proportions. The customized fit system is based on the difference in a woman’s hip-to-seat ratio and comes in three shapes: Slight Curve for straighter figures, Demi curve for even proportions, and Bold Curve for hourglass shapes.
  • The line is scheduled to roll out across the U.S. and globally this summer and fall, with trained staff on site to help with sizing.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Most women try on many (many) pairs of jeans before they find one that actually fits. Recognizing that a size 12 (or 4, or 8 ) encompasses a variety of body shapes + making it easier to find flattering jeans = not just the dollars but the grateful hearts of many consumers.
  • Women talk. A company that delivers attractive jeans, fast, with no debilitating loss of dressing room self-esteem barely needs PR, just a few happy customers to get the beehive buzzing.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Jonas Brothers to teens: X the TXT

September 1, 2010 – 6:07 am

thumbnailby Cree McCree

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Softballs aren’t the only thing the Jonas Brothers are pitching on their 2010 Road Dogs tour, where they open each show with a softball game. They’ve also got a message for teen drivers: “X the TXT.”
  • Sponsored by Allstate, the free tour stops at minor-league stadiums nationwide. Fans can join the campaign by adding their thumbprints to a banner that travels with the tour, and by sporting “TXTNG KILLS” thumb bands as proof of their commitment.
  • “X the TXT” is part of a larger Allstate initiative to curb teen drivers from texting, which makes them 23 times more likely to crash (MarketingDaily.com 8.5.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • States can (and have) passed no-texting-while-driving laws, but DWT crashes among teens remain alarmingly high. If anyone has the clout to make kids listen up, it’s the enormously popular Jonas boys.
  • First thumb socks, now anti-text thumb bands. Having a peg (or thumb) to hang a campaign on makes it that much more effective.
  • Treating fans to free concerts gives a fuddy insurance brand instant cred, making teens more likely to choose Allstate when it comes time to buy auto insurance.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Technology, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

GROWING UP TOO FAST?

August 31, 2010 – 1:58 pm

thumbnail
by Stefania Revelli

Are you there God? It’s me … er, Margaret’s mom. As I came across the old preteen rite-of-passage read at my local bookstore, I realized Judy Blume and her 11-year-old protagonist, Margaret Simon, would both likely be as shocked as I’ve been to hear that girls are approaching puberty at a (way) younger age these days.

While the average age of the American girl’s first period hovers around 12 years, early puberty, before age 8, is becoming more commonplace (Time.com 1.7.10). The journal Pediatrics reports girls beginning to develop breasts as early as age 7 (HamptonRoadsParent.com 8.17.10).

As a mother and cultural observer I’m on double alert, if not in worry mode. Early-puberty fears include the obvious psychological concerns (sexual activity, etc.) but also medical risks (breast cancer, heart disease).

Researchers suggest that a combination of social and environmental issues ranging from environmental pollutants and hormones/chemicals in our foods (bovine growth hormone, rBGH, BPA) to obesity could be to blame. While no definitive cause-effect reports have been published, one thing is clear: Something real is changing in our children and more parents are beginning to notice.

This early onset does not translate into a marketing opportunity to sell rainbow-colored tampons and pink polka-dot razors. It’s an opportunity to participate in a real parental alliance, to demonstrate a dedication to collaborating with parents, caregivers and educators in initiatives and changes that help our kids become healthier, better-educated, more active children — not tiny teenagers.

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Health, Parents | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Young Latino artists paint outside the (cultural) lines

August 30, 2010 – 7:13 am

thumbnailby Rocio Zamora Arzola

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Austin’s Mexic-Arte Museum is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Quinceañera theme, anyone? Curator Claudia Zapata had something more nontraditional in mind, inviting 15 artists to attempt a global approach to Latino art in an exhibit entitled “Consensus of Taste.”
  • Although the participating artists — all under 35 years of age — self-identify as Latino, the artwork displayed goes beyond showcasing their similar cultural backgrounds (Austin360.com 7.31.10).
  • The issue of mass consumption is interpreted by Jason Villegas in his 10-foot banner made of knockoff designer Polo shirts called “UB Sales Banner.” Carlos Rosales-Silva uses party favor bags and plastic toys to assemble a conceptual tableau offering an ironic re-reading of Texas history.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Latino artists of the Internet generation are able to identify with and be inspired by a wide realm of influences — as are the modern audiences attuned to their work.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Culture, Latino | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Save money, light better

August 27, 2010 – 6:35 am

thumbnailby Lisa Pierce

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Can reading a light bulb label help consumers save money? Yes, if it helps them pick the best bulb for the job. So says the Federal Trade Commission. They’ve passed new labeling regs that will make it easier for bulb buyers to compare the different types on the market today: traditional incandescent bulbs and the newer energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs.
  • The FTC has made two measurable changes to the front label. Bye-bye, watts; hello, lumens as the degree of a bulb’s brightness. Consumers will also see an estimated cost to burn the bulb for a year.
  • The back of each pack will show a Lighting Facts box, modeled after the well-known Nutrition Facts label. It’ll illuminate the bulb’s brightness and energy cost (again), as well as its life expectancy, wattage, appearance of the light (using a “warm” to “cool” sliding scale) and whether it contains mercury.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • It might not be pretty, but the no-nonsense black-and-white “Facts” box gets the job done. Consumers find it much easier to comparison shop when the same information is presented in a standard format from product to product.
  • Saving energy is still on the To Do list of people watching their budgets and their eco impact.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Home | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Say sayonara to former flames and annoying celebrities with Ex-blocker

August 26, 2010 – 6:34 am

thumbnailby Anna Otieno

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Breaking up is hard to do. Avoiding an ex whose name keeps popping up all over the Internet is harder. Customized plug-in Ex-blocker looks to eradicate the heartache by providing a highly personalized Web-browsing filter.
  • To get rid of an ex (virtually, of course), add their first and last name, Twitter username, Facebook and blog URLs and — voila! — bad boyfriend is erased from Web surfing search results and social media streams!
  • Ex-blocker isn’t limited to avoiding ghosts of girlfriends past. Just about anyone can be blocked. Sick of reading about Lindsay Lohan’s train-wreck life? Just add LiLo’s name and info to Ex-blocker.
  • Users can add up to five exes (or other individuals) to their online “do-not-display” list.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Consumers are already actively filtering and aggregating Web content for practical purposes like news scouring; they’ll gladly do the same for personal reasons.
  • The Internet is a fount of information in desperate need of a purifier. There’s plenty of Web content that many consumers would rather do without.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Teens defer dream of buying first car

August 25, 2010 – 7:49 am

thumbnailby Cree McCree

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Buying your first car used to be a rite of passage. Not these days. In the wake of the recession, just 4.2 million teens are expected to purchase used cars in 2010, down from 7.5 million in 2005, CNW Research reports (USA Today 7.28.10).
  • With teen unemployment at 27%, fewer kids have part-time jobs to save up for cars. And they’re in no big hurry to drive. Licenses issued to minors in Colorado dropped 9% between 2004 and 2008, reflecting a national trend.
  • The silver lining for U.S. automakers? Teens who do buy used cars are purchasing more autos made by Detroit’s Big 3, which are generally cheaper than Asian or European models.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Teens’ love affair with cars has been cooling for some time. The decline in used-car purchases is just the latest confirmation that American adolescence no longer revolves around wheels.
  • Blame the economy, sure. But green teens also see biking as an eco-conscious choice.
  • Like first loves, first cars hit a sweet spot. When they’re ready to trade up, young drivers might well stick with American cars.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

TOPS OF THE WORLD

August 24, 2010 – 3:02 pm

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by Becky Sun

In mid-September, Interbrand will come out with its annual ranking of Best Global Brands for the year. If the past is any indication, familiar names like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nokia and Google will place in the top 10.

At Iconoculture, Global View does something similar yet radically different. We reach out to our on-the-ground Cultural Fluents to tease out which brands are resonating with consumers — and why. Which campaigns are working? Who’s buying into the message? What’s behind the consumer buzz about certain products?

The responses have been surprising. Of the countries that Global View covers, some of the brands are familiar: Tata Motors, Uniqlo and Nespresso. But most of the other best brand practices are products unique to that country or region.

Take, for example, Hipp in Germany. This respected maker of organic baby food has successfully branched out to target a fast-growing population that needs nutritious, soft and convenient meals: seniors. Kimberly Ochs, our Fluent in Germany, writes, “About a quarter of those who eat Hipp’s 100 varieties of pureed and pulped organic meals, like Mediterranean ratatouille with gnocchi, are adults.”

Of the 17 best brand practices, the common denominator is not the brands’ global reach or profit margin. Rather, they’re innovators and risk takers in their categories — many of them with a strong sustainable bent — that click with consumers’ core values.

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Telemundo reaching consumers out of home, digitally

August 22, 2010 – 7:49 pm

thumbnailby Abelardo de la Pena Jr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Digital OOH (out of home) advertising refers to ad-delivering digital screens in public places like train terminals, clinic waiting areas and restaurants. One way to say it in Spanish is Telemundo en Tu Mundo (Telemundo in Your World), as the broadcaster launches an OOH network (HispanicAd.com 8.6.10).
  • Telemundo’s network consists of digital screens in 200 supermarkets, 800 retailers and 2,000 metro buses visited by U.S. Latinos. Advertisers and marketers can customize national and local Telemundo content to include messages about product launches, test marketing and price-point advertising.
  • PQ Media predicts that total ad spending on digital OOH networks will jump from $2.47 billion in 2009 to $3.8 billion in 2014 (MediaPost.com 8.4.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Like other consumers, U.S. Latinos don’t spend all their time at home. A medium that engages with them as they lead their active lifestyles can be meaningful if it connects with personal passion points.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Latino, Technology, Television | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Citizen grocery: H-E-B opens made-to-order store

August 20, 2010 – 5:54 am

thumbnailby Sarah Barker

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Fresh, local produce? Aisle 1. Curbside valet service? Done. Organic beef and poultry? Sure thing. Grocery chain H-E-B incorporated customers’ requests in building its new 68,000-square-foot market in Dripping Springs, TX (BlancoCountyNews.com 7.21.10).
  • If they don’t carry a product, they’ll order it. Some other shopper-generated features include a sushi bar, the largest seafood department in the area, a pharmacy, a flower shop and a fuel station/car wash.
  • H-E-B staffs the store with specialists in each department.  They stress service, the shopping experience and responsiveness over rock-bottom prices.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • H-E-B? Could be shorthand for good vibes. Shoppers not only find local organic cheeses but also a sense of community and personal ownership.
  • More consumers are specialty-food lovers who demand sophisticated selections.
  • Cavernous warehouse stores don’t have room for service or ambiance. Shoppers are often willing to pay for a little personal service.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Grocery | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

“Bankin’s funner” at Redneck Bank

August 19, 2010 – 5:39 am

thumbnailby Hans Eisenbeis

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • The new trend in banking has started with a yee-haw! Oklahoma-based Bank of the Wichitas has created Redneck Bank, an online/direct virtual bank designed to appeal to the Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke in everyone.
  • With a talking horse as its moniker, the bank offers several checking and savings accounts packaged as an expression of the redneck lifestyle.
  • Innovation this extreme sometimes looks crazy. But at least two products — a checking account offering 4% APY, and another offering 2% APY — were already sold out as of July 2010.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Is the world ready for the banking industry to put away the gray flannel suit and put on overalls and a sleeveless T-shirt? In the virtual world, maybe so.
  • Micro-niches in the financial services industry is a major trend waiting to happen, as banks discover the power of lifestyle marketing.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Money/Spending | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Humor, star power rally young fans to give

August 18, 2010 – 6:46 am

thumbnailby Cree McCree

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Who says charity sites have to be earnest and goody-goody? Cause-centered social network Crowdrise, founded by actor Ed Norton and a posse of class clowns like Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, puts the “fun” back in fundraising with slogans like “Kick Alzheimer’s in the ass.”
  • The boldface names aren’t just window dressing. Celeb sponsors of pet charities interact directly with supporters and even post their own pictures and text. Regular folks can also sponsor their own charities.
  • Donors get more than just a warm thank-you. They also earn Crowdrise points that give them digital-community status and a chance to win cool prizes like iPads.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Millennials are already down with giving. Crowdrise makes donating even cooler with star power and an irreverent tone. It also appeals to young DIYers by letting them launch their own cause.
  • Teens and young adults try lots of things on for size before they find something that fits. Putting a bunch of different causes under one roof lets them shop around.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Entertainment, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

ROSÉ-COLORED GLASSES

August 17, 2010 – 1:29 pm

thumbnailby Charlotte Beal

I’ve been enjoying almost daily glasses of rosé as part of my usual summer routine — did you know that wine has a season? Nothing tastes quite as refreshing to me or many of my wine-loving consumer-cousins.

Yet I’ve had a number of wine wake-up calls this summer. As part of Iconoculture’s Quantified Analysis product launch, our Values and Lifestyle Survey found that only 36% of U.S. consumers drink wine at least once a month (Wave 1, 2010). Contrast that with Italy, the country in our survey that showed the greatest density of drinkers: 62% of Italian respondents down vino at least monthly.

Most American consumers would argue that beer is what really hits the spot. A new Gallup poll found that 67% of Americans say they drink alcohol — the highest reading recorded since 1985. But beer is usually what’s in the glass (Gallup.com 7.30.10).

Traveling from my home state of California (land of vineyards and vacation lifestyles) to New York City recently reminded me that it’s not always so easy to buy wine at places like the grocery store. Iconoculture recently wrote about one Pennsylvania attempt to rectify this: wine vending machines at supermarkets. Controversial perhaps, but efforts like that, combined with innovations like respectful boxed varietals, might make it easier for that 36% to enjoy wine more often.

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumers, Food/Beverage | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Seniors become “silver pokers” as well as “silver surfers”

August 17, 2010 – 6:27 am

thumbnailby Nick Chiarelli

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • Think social networking is just for the young? Think again.  Saga (an organisation focussed on serving the needs of over-50s) now offers a tailored social networking service for seniors.
  • The Saga Zone service offers consumers the ability to make friends and join forums. The sample forum topics provide a window into the issues that interest Saga Zoners, simultaneously demonstrating  their similarities with other consumer groups (technology, health, travel) as well as their own unique concerns (memories, life changes).
  • They can also upload pictures, engage in instant chat, read and create blog pages, share videos and start clubs.
  • The clubs are a startingly diverse collection, demonstrating the danger of assuming that seniors are a single homogeneous group. Some examples: “Gay People and You”, “Carers Club”, “Elevensies”, “Genealogy for you”, “Motorcycle racing” and “Naturists club”.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • Old(er) age can often be a time of loneliness and isolation. Online social networking can help to fill this void, particularly with more and more social networking sites also attempting to help their users to forge real-world connections.
  • Seniors are people too. Brands that understand and empower their diversity and vitality are poised to live a long life.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Media, U.K. | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

The not-so-neat problem of Britain’s “NEETS”

August 17, 2010 – 6:08 am

thumbnailby Nancy Ludwig

WHAT’S HAPPENING

  • An Audit Commission survey of 16- to 18-year-olds has found that one in four of them were classed as NEETs — teenagers not in education, employment or training — between 2007 and 2009, and roughly 43% of them were NEETs for six months or more. The report calls them Britain’s “forgotten teenagers” (BBC.co.uk 7.7.10).
  • Teens dipping out of school and employment for over six months are more likely to be jobless in the long term.
  • In consequence, the report warns that difficult times loom for NEETs reaching adulthood unless the £8.7 billion in local councils’ training coffers go toward smarter schemes that make education or training sexier to the most disadvantaged youth.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

  • There’s a fear that NEETs could stay in the shade when the sun rises on the economy and firms get hiring again. These young consumers need help regaining control of their situation and reorienting their lives.
  • It’s a wake-up call that requires change in thought and action both from the consumers themselves — and those in a position to do something to help them.

RESOURCES

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By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, U.K., Work | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off