Consumer Demographic

SUMMARY: Giving consumers more control over the merchandise offers they get has been an effective marketing tactic for a few years now.

Still, our ears perked up when we saw the results from a teen eretailer who allows their finicky users to receive emails about only the brands they selected -- email-generated revenue jumped 318%. Plus, how they target non-responders four months later. read the complete case study

SUMMARY: The sooner your devoted customers know about your new product the better. And “leaking” exclusive news to your biggest fans can quickly spread the word virally.

Leveraging recommendations from these brand advocates to create buzz can also give you tons of new market research. Here’s how to build your own online street team. read the complete article

SUMMARY: "Among the mom segment, word of mouth about shopping, retail and apparel is highly impactful, with 69% likely to purchase based on what was heard." "Half or more of all moms surveyed report having at least one conversation per day about technology, financial services, health care, food/dining, media/entertainment, packaged goods, shopping and retail experiences." "Among pregnant and new moms, the Internet is the #1 driver of word of mouth, beating out all other forms of media, including... view the complete research record

SUMMARY: 'Marketing to Women' book author Martha Barletta has researched the very different ways men and women shop, use email, and react to marketing messages. Our in-depth article based on her findings includes:
Factor #1: How to maximize word of mouth
Factor #2: Women seek "the perfect answer"
Factor #3: Add "people" to your creative
Factor #4: Test milestone marketing

The sexes are different in more ways than you thought. read the complete interview

SUMMARY: More than 600 marketers from 19 countries are in New York today and tomorrow dissecting the hottest fad around: virtual worlds.

Why are the likes of IBM, Toyota, Dell, Coldwell Banker, Starwood Hotels and MTV Networks diving headfirst into this new channel? Are there enough users to merit the attention it’s getting? Do consumers mind seeing marketing messages?

We got the low-down from two experts and a pair of virtual-world marketers for the most up-to-date analysis of where the medium is and where it’s headed. Plus, results from a recent campaign and a handful of useful links. read the complete article

By Anne Holland, President

It's fun being at Sherpa because we often get to see new study data before anyone else. This week, Anderson Analytics pre-released their new GenX2Z College Brand Study results to us exclusively. (See link below to three charts from the study.)

They track which brands, ads and Web sites college students name as their "favorite." Results:

o Web: MySpace unexpectedly leapfrogged to number one, past
FaceBook and YouTube.

o Brands: Nike is the most... read the complete blog post