Welcome to the GTR Consulting Blog. The goal of this forum is to create a thought-provoking dialogue among marketers about the best way to approach kids, tween, teens, and twenty-somethings – So what’s the best way to start understanding a market of consumers that can confound even the best marketers? By realizing that today’s teens are the ultimate moving target. Since adolescence, their lives have been a continuous process of adopting and integrating socially impactful technology. To succeed with this unique demographic – increasingly known as The Flux Gen – marketers must understand the five fundamental drivers of the teen […]
Vigeos & Insights
As down economy sets in, some are embracing the simple life By Allison Linn Senior writer MSNBC updated 7:49 a.m. PT, Wed., July. 9, 2008 To get a sense of the American economy, consider what’s in for summer: house parties instead of bar hopping, thrift stores instead of mall shopping, gardening instead of gourmet restaurants. Americans have spent the past year or so complaining about the rising price of everything from bread to gas, and bemoaning the ways in which it has changed their lifestyle. Now, as the reality of a down economy begins to sink in, experts say consumers […]
Retailer’s Cash Crunch Imperils Low-Priced Clothing Lines From Sarah Jessica Parker, Venus Williams Advertising Age By Natalie Zmuda Published: July 07, 2008 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Steve & Barry’s fall from grace could take several boldface names along for the ride. The retailer, which has built its reputation on offering $15 Stephon Marbury sneakers and $9 dresses from Sarah Jessica Parker, is in a serious cash crunch. Bankruptcy is widely considered to be an option, leaving the fate of the retailer’s hundreds of exclusive celebrity lines and licensing deals in question. Steve & Barry’s operates about 275 stores in 40 […]
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY May 21, 2008 The wheels are coming off of Heelys (HLYS). The once-highflying, trendy company best known for the kid-targeted, wheel-in-the-sole shoes banned from many schoolyards and shopping malls, will on Wednesday unveil an unlikely new product for 2008 back-to-school: Heelys without wheels. With wheeled-shoe sales sliding in the USA, the firm — whose revenue declined 73% in the first quarter of 2008 from a year earlier — will in July launch a line of grippy rubber shoes targeted at preteen skateboarders. The move follows two quarters of “inventory management issues,” says Don Carroll, who […]
Parents can use the pop star’s Vanity Fair trouble as a lesson for kids posting online. From the Associated Press May 2, 2008 NEW YORK — Miley Cyrus’ struggle with her controversial photo in Vanity Fair presents a great opportunity for parents to discuss how seemingly innocuous photos posted to a blog or social networking site can be misinterpreted, experts say. The 15-year-old pop star appears in the upcoming issue wrapped in what appears to be a satin bedsheet, looking over her shoulder with her back and shoulder exposed. Miley has said she is “so embarrassed” by the photos and […]
By Karen E. Speeder Uncover trends before everyone else does–and build a business with staying power. It’s no stretch to say that Allyson Ames spotted a trend well before its time, simply by virtue of the fact that she enjoyed baking at an early age. “Allyson decided at 5 years old that she loved to bake,” says her mother, Sondra, who opened Wonderland Bakery with her daughter in Newport Beach, California, in 2005. Wonderland sells fairytale-themed treats and merchandise with higher price points aimed at the “treat elite”–customers seeking more than your average supermarket cookie. Other gourmet bakeries are making […]
By Alexandria Sage LOS ANGELES, Feb 29 (Reuters) – More than $150 billion will land in U.S. shoppers’ hands later this year in the form of tax rebate checks and businesses hoping to boost lagging sales are devising plans to make sure they get some of those dollars. Spend, not save, will be the message and companies from Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N> to JetBlue Airways Corp <JBLU.O> will court consumers with extra cash in their pockets with promotions and special marketing campaigns. While some companies will focus on the fun of “free” money, others will highlight bargains to stretch out […]
Tim Barker ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Diane Ceccarini doesn’t know a Tron from a Halo. Yet on Saturday, she’ll join 26 other local musicians at the Fox Theatre for an orchestral concert based on the music of those and other video games. They’ll be playing some of the genre’s best-known tunes, including “One-Winged Angel” from “Final Fantasy,” “Cinematic Suite” from “World of Warcraft” and “Simple & Clean” from “Kingdom Hearts.” None of them mean anything to the keyboardist, whose game play is limited to the occasional Internet freebie. “I’ve never even bought a video game,” Ceccarini said. Yet this is an […]
By Laura Tiffany September 25, 2007. This date likely holds no significance for you. But for millions of rabid game fans, September 25 was akin to a holiday–like Christmas and New Year’s Eve rolled into one awesome day when they got the exact present they requested and then had to call in sick after going on an all-night bender playing it. Fans lined up for hours to receive their copy of Halo 3 at 12 a.m. And for Microsoft, Xbox and Bungie Studios (the game production studio that, up until last week, was owned by Microsoft), it paid off with […]
WASHINGTON POST Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2007; Page C12 By Ellen Edwards Do you think your favorite television show is interrupted by a lot of advertising? You are so right. Advertising pays the bills to make and air most television shows. These shows can cost a lot, which means you get bombarded with ads. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 8- to 12-year-olds see about 30,155 TV ads every year! That’s about 230 hours of advertising. You see about 21 ads for food each day. That’s 7,600 food ads a year — taking up nearly 51 […]