WHAT’S HAPPENING

• In the world of endurance sports, there’s been a slow but steady escalation from marathons to ultramarathons, fun-runs to eco-challenges. Now a new race circuit has developed that seems a mashup of Iron Man athleticism and Burning Man primitivism.
• Billed as the world’s toughest one-day endurance race on the planet, the “Tough Mudder” series resembles nothing so much as a 7-mile-long boot-camp obstacle course, replete with mud pits, barbed wire barricades, ropes courses, water crossings and even fire pits.
• Races have been staged in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas and they’re planned in Illinois, Washington, California, and Colorado.  Participants can get a discount on entry fees if they pledge to raise $150 for the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity that benefits injured servicemen and women.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Misogyny during  Superbowl XLIV ads? Those may have signaled a new chapter in Brave New Man^SM regression, as men (and the women who love them) seek to embrace positive aspects of traditional he-manhood.
• But beyond the gender wars, the comforts of modern living have spawned in many consumers an appetite for raw, unmediated, even painful experiences and achievements.

RESOURCES

• ToughMudder.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• After a multi-year investigation behind the claims of U.K. doctor Andrew Wakefield, reputable medical journal The Lancet retracted his 1998 paper that linked the childhood measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism (CNN.com 2.2.10).
• Wakefield was found to have acted unethically — conducting invasive and unnecessary medical procedures to panels of children — and his investigations (and design study) have now been proven to be false, building on scientists’ long-term research supporting no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
• The Lancet episode puts another nail in the coffin of the long-debated “to vaccinate or not to vaccinate” question that has plagued many parents for years.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• For consumers who feel less-than-well-versed around scientific studies, reputable publications are the go-to conduits for trusted information.
• Parents who have been living in fear of immunizations may now give them a shot, and feel more comfortable with their decision.

RESOURCES

• The Lancet

by Josh Kimball

Each year, Iconoculture throws a consumer insights extravaganza-cum-raging poolside sleepover. This year’s Iconosphere is just months away — it takes place in L.A. May 17-19 — so around here, the research is flying.

One of the ways we’re trying to better understand consumer mood and motivation is through social media research. I’ll be co-presenting on the power of subversion in branding, so right now I find myself waist-deep in online reactions to American Apparel’s recently finished Best Bottom in the World Contest. Exhausting. (Spoiler alert: The contestant known as Boom Boom won. The blogosphere rolled its eyes.)

Other strategists have been similarly engaged. For a session focusing on consumer empathy and authenticity, strategist Mandy Levenberg’s noted how parents interact with one another online, including conversations about how to get their kids to eat dinner. (We note, too, that the online commiseration — at least on the topic of refusing vegetables — comes in late-afternoon waves.)

Since Facebook began making more of its user data public a few months ago — when users allow, of course — social media analytics companies (including our partner Collective Intellect) have started making it easier to get to the insight, and to make more sense of the chatter.

So that’s something of a sneak peek into our May Iconosphere event. There will be underwear. And broccoli. And social media research. And robot vacuum cleaners. And people to make wonderful sense of it all.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• U.S. Latinos are being hit hard by the recession. Hit harder: U.S. Latinas. For one, they’re making less in comparison to all U.S. men: In 2007, Latinas earned just 62 cents for every dollar men earned (TrinityTripod.com 2.16.10). And in Latino households, they’re responsible for more than half — 56% — of their household income (HuffingtonPost.com 2.2.10).
• Latinas, who account for 8 million of America’s workforce, also face huge challenges in the labor market, ranging from low wages — a median of $501 per week, $50 less than black women and $150 less than white women — to severely limited access to employer-based benefits including healthcare, retirement plans and paid leave.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• The lack of employment coupled with the inequalities in the labor market are rapidly depleting Latino families’ inroads to the middle class, leaving many Latinas to do the heavy-lifting to keep their families afloat.
• What do Latinas really want? In these economically uncertain times, greater economic opportunity, equity and security.

RESOURCES

• Mujeres Latinas en Acción

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• When U.S. consumers swipe their debit cards, they’re typically asked to choose “credit” or “debit” for the transaction. The first requires a signature, the second a PIN, but either way the money still comes out of a savings or checking account. But what if consumers really had the option on a single card of either charging via a credit line or debiting a bank account?
• That’s precisely what the financial services company TSYS announced in February 2010. Technically, it’s called a hybrid decoupled debit/credit card, and it would allow major Visa and Mastercard issuers, for example, to offer a debit line on a credit card.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Consumers have embraced debit, but many still like their credit cards — especially the awards they’ve gotten used to. Offering them the flexibility to use both on a single card could be a huge opportunity.
• Consumers don’t always understand the behind-the-scenes complexity of electronic transfers and interchange networks, but if tweaks to these systems allow them simplicity and choice, it’s a win-win.

RESOURCES

• TSYS Hybrid

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Lonely hearts looking for love online, but tired of registration-heavy dating sites and wary of total strangers, can tug on Thread for a Facebook-friend-vetted flame-finding alternative (Springwise.com 2.3.10).
• Launched in September 2009 and currently in beta, the currently free Facebook Connect-powered service only requires users to fill out a bare-bones questionnaire to get started. Once up and running, users can easily browse other Threadsters sorted by degrees of separation from themselves.
• If someone looks appealing, users can ask a mutual friend for an intro or be gutsy and send the possible paramour a Facebook message directly.
• To keep any Web wooing out of the wider soc net spotlight, Thread emphasizes that site activities are never published to Facebook unless specifically requested.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Thread represents some of the most logical leveraging yet of Facebook’s massive pool of users. With safety and privacy increasingly top of mind for all Web-surfing consumers, an online dating solution anchored in simplicity and mutual acquaintances presents an appealing alternative to the faceless flesh-market vibe of many cyber-dating sites.

RESOURCES

• Thread

by Stefania Revelli

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Think of it as community car sharing. RelayRides is a person-to-person car-sharing-service enabling users to rent their underused vehicles to others who need a ride (Springwise.com 1.28.10).
• Car owners simply need to register online and arrange for a keyless system to be installed in the automobile. Owners determine rental fees, locations and availability and can rate renters based on their experience.
• Renters are pre-screened for driving records and can book the vehicle by the hour or day. Suggested hourly rates are between $6 and $12 per hour, including gas and insurance (RelayRides.com 2.10).
• The company will launch in the Baltimore area, with plans to expand to other major cities throughout 2010.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• As ridesharing establishes itself as a viable form of commitment-free car “ownership,” those who own but under-use are finding ways to get in on the game.
• Sharing is saving — and nothing is seemingly off limits.
• A community-based problem-solving approach is proving to be an efficient and savvy strategy.

RESOURCES

• RelayRides

by Nissa Hanna

In Minneapolis, the snow is clearing and we’re starting to see the street pavement again, signaling that spring is right around the corner, and with it — spring cleaning.

According to the Soap and Detergent Association (oh yes, there is one), 68% of consumers engage in this annual effort to rid the home of winter dust and clutter buildup (SDAHQ.org 3.9.09). We’ve been tracking consumers’ online chatter around this seasonal activity and found that 48% of mentions were about organizing, 29% were about cleaning out a storage space, 12% about decluttering, 6% about cleaning the garage and 5% about donating items from around the house (Collective Intellect 1.26.10).

But this year, deep cleaning carries a deeper meaning for many consumers. The troubled economy has prompted a need for empowerment, and they’re finding that the acts of cleaning, organizing and decluttering the home can provide that much needed sense of control. In a survey of our IconoCommunities^SM panel, 25% of respondents acknowledge that they’ve been more active and interested in cleaning their homes since the start of the recession (2.1.10).

So this spring, many consumers won’t be simply sweeping, dusting, sorting and scrubbing their way to pristine pads, they’ll be cleaning up to recover control. Businesses would be bright to scour the psychology behind the chores.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Childhood obesity is a big problem with Latino kids: 22.1% of Mexican American boys, for example, are obese, compared to 18.5% of black boys and 17.3% of white boys (CDC.gov 10.20.09). Enter popular PBS KIDS GO animated characters Maya & Miguel, encouraging children to eat healthy and exercise.
• Players in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Initiative, the cartoon siblings star in the Web-based “Take the Maya and Miguel Challenge,” which includes exercises like push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks; quizzes; healthy recipes; and online sports-themed games.
• The Maya & Miguel segments were created in both English and Spanish to leverage the characters’ strong appeal to all Latino families, as well as general audiences (USAToday.com 2.10.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Latino childhood obesity is a long-term problem requiring effective strategies to engage families and communities and mobilize both the public and private sector.
• Getting young ones interested in their health gets easier when they have role models who lead the way in a fun and interactive fashion.

RESOURCES

• “Maya & Miguel Challenge” on SmallStep.gov
• LetsMove.gov

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Mental workouts are proving essential to a well-balanced, whole-body fitness regimen. Brain games on Lumosity.com offer users a full, free cognitive workout in less than 10 minutes per day.
• Designed by a team of neuroscience and cognitive psychologists from Stanford and UCSF, users can choose from several courses, comprised of 40 sessions each. Each session is made up of five games. A Basic Training course, for instance, provides a “balanced workout” of games in areas like memory, attention, speed, problem solving, flexibility and concentration.
• Additional features include an Assessments program, which lets users evaluate and monitor their cognitive progress, and a personal profile to identify weaknesses and compare scores against others.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Gone are the days when cognitive exercises were synonymous with students prepping for their standardized tests. Preventative cognitive health has become a top-of-mind priority for consumers at every age, and especially among Boomers who are concerned about future cognitive decline.
• Time and money: most common reasons for not working out. Now there’s no excuse.

RESOURCES

• Lumosity