Asbury Park Press – Asbury Park,NJ,USA Shannon Mullen • STAFF WRITER • June 7, 2009 When her salary was frozen and her husband’s income was slashed 15 percent, Kathy Esposito followed their employers’ example: She cut expenses wherever she could. She switched to a cheaper cellular phone plan, talked her satellite TV provider into lopping $20 off her monthly bill for a year to keep her as a subscriber, and started running her dishwasher and washing machine at night to take advantage of lower, off-peak electricity rates. She also began spending more time surfing the Internet for coupons, doubled the […]
Vigeos & Insights
By Allison Linn Senior writer msnbc.com updated 4:39 p.m. PT, Sun., Nov. 23, 2008 Add another item to the long list of woes already facing retailers: the dearth of must-have items expected to fly off the shelves this holiday season. As the traditional holiday shopping season kicks off, there are no stand-out toys or electronic gadgets that are expected to spark the frenzy seen in years past, when late-night lines snaked through the streets and parents came to blows trying to get that much-coveted gift for their kids. “The lack of a hot toy is one of the reasons we’re […]
“The economy has scared me a bit, so I’ve cut back on spending all of my money. Instead, I have saved about 40% of it, so I’ll have something to fall back on later.” – 17-year-old girl from New York. With the economy tanking, how will that impact the spending behavior of kids, teens, twenty-somethings? Even though it is in the inherent nature of teens to do the opposite of what their parents tell them, they will likely follow step and spend less this holiday season. They really have no choice – for two reasons. First, since their parents may […]
Tweens and teens are trying to look older. Women are trying to look younger. All the self-modifying leaves little time for learning or doing. Chicago Tribune By Anne K. Ream November 16, 2008 Remember your 6th-grade class picture? I’m sorry to take you back there. I know this is awkward for all of us but think about it for a moment. You might have been many things at 12: bucktoothed, regrettably sporting a bowl cut or, in my case, plagued by a gap-toothed smile. What you probably weren’t was professionally improved upon. But an unfortunate school photo is, according to […]
One of the unintended consequences of providing kids with a broad range of experiences and opportunities is that they are often way overscheduled. In grammar school, middle school and high school – when parents are still managing their lives in one way or another – burnout, irritation, or rebelliousness can be the fallout. But what happens when these same hyper-scheduled kids go off to college and start making all of their own decisions? Our recent research with college-age young adults does not paint a pretty picture. Consider the following: § College-age adults report that their biggest challenge is balancing schoolwork […]
American Girl gets all dolled up: Bigger store ready for holiday rush By Sandra M. Jones | Chicago Tribune reporter October 2, 2008 Goodbye, Lord & Taylor. Hello, American Girl Place. The Middleton, Wis.-based doll emporium completed its much anticipated move to Water Tower Place on Wednesday, stepping into Lord & Taylor’s highly visible command post at the front of the Magnificent Mile mall. The two-level flagship is 40 percent bigger than its original store, which was the first in the nation when it opened in 1998 just down the street on Chicago Avenue. That extra space means less chance […]
By Tim Barker ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 09/17/2008 Ultraviolent games such as “Grand Theft Auto” get the attention. But for video-game playing teens, including a growing number of girls, it’s about more than explosions and car chases. They use video games to stay in touch with friends. They play a wide range of titles featuring puzzles, music, sports and role playing. And the right games may even encourage teens to be more involved in their communities, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. “Gaming isn’t taking kids out of the social mix. It is […]
For tweens, teens and twenty-somethings, the economic downturn truly hurts. In this environment, a demographic formerly flush with cash is now doing with less – or with very little at all. Why? In bad times, part-time work – the gigs most often done by these young adults – go away. Or, unemployed adults muscle them out. At the same time, parents are tighter with allowance money. Lean spending budgets are a novel experience for many. But true to form with Flux Gen, a demographic accustomed to continually adopting and advancing to new things, they’re being more resourceful. This group is […]
The remaining three drivers: 3. The message needs to be simple and clear. Teens are accustomed to ease. In their world of technology, everything is at the touch of a button. Marketers need a similar approach. If a marketing message forces a teen to work too hard, or if the pitch isn’t readily digestible, it will fall flat. That’s not to say it must be boring. Rather, it has to be straightforward – and wrapped in an interesting, engaging package. Otherwise, teens will tune out and won’t see the messages being aimed at them. 4. Technology is everything. Other products […]
Press of Atlantic City By REGINA SCHAFFER Staff Writer, 609-272-7211 Published: Monday, July 28, 2008 If Rob Mancinelli takes a little longer to get to his job at Jeff’s Steaks in Egg Harbor Township, it’s because he is driving more slowly – on purpose. Filling up his 1997 GMC truck costs $85. Not that Mancinelli can remember the last time he did that. He usually puts about $20 at a time in his tank. When he goes somewhere with friends, they try to carpool. Friends agree to give the driver gas money – something that wasn’t as big a deal […]