march 2011
	men: sharing the purse strings Flip through the pages of a weekly circular or tune in to a few commercials and you’re bound to notice a certain trend on who’s being spoken to. An abundance of slick images depicting trendy decors, must-have fashions and this week’s great deals are displayed in print while TV portrays cool, care-free women tending for their families through the smart purchasing decisions they make. Clearly marketing targets women as the holders of the household purse-strings. As she steers her cart down the aisles she’ll find an abundance of packaging designed with her in mind. Brands actively seek to develop an emotional connection with female consumers to reassure her that they’ll be her trusted ally in life’s journey. While this marketing evolution to a personal dialogue with consumers is refreshing, it is forgetting to engage in a conversation with the rising number of male consumers. Roughly 32% of primary shoppers within a household today is a man. That’s more than double the 14% of two decades ago.1 This shift in cart control has been growing over time. As more women have joined the workforce, men have stepped up in taking on more household responsibilities. Men are choosing to take more active roles in parenting, and the recent recession has made them more interested in how hard-earned money gets spent. Despite their growing involvement in household responsibilities and shopping trips, less than 25% of men feel advertising speaks to them.2 Texas grocery chain H-E-B turned one aisle into a man cave which showcased mass-market products men already used. They reported a sales jump of 11% for products that already existed in, but were traditionally just scattered throughout, the store.3 While H-E-B’s example shows targeting the male audience does pay off, it doesn’t mean that all marketing specifically needs to target men — just don’t ignore them. Targeting one specific gender ultimately alienates the other from the conversation. Gender neutral marketing could be the sweet spot in reaching a broader audience. Consider common attitudes and sensibilities as a middle ground to speak to. Brands that truly wish to connect with their consumers need to recognize the changing face of their market and embrace that change. 1 Nielsen & NPD Group (as reported in St. Petersburg Times; June 28, 2010) 2 Yahoo study (as reported in Advertising Age; January 7, 2011) 3 St. Petersburg Times (June 28, 2010)
			food for thought More Fun With Google - Recipes Last month we reviewed Google Places and how to claim your business listing. Now Google has launched another new search tool — Google Recipes. To find Google Recipes, simply do a Google search and look at the left column. You may have to click on "More" to see the Recipes selection. Once you have selected Recipes, you can search for specific dishes and filter the results by ingredients, cooking time and/or calories. This could be really useful for people with limited time and those on diets. And, you may find something that looks really yummy to try for dinner next week. If you don't find the recipe you wanted, there are some great websites devoted to recipes and food. Click here to see the top ten recipe websites.
	Junior Achievement JAzz Night Poster Design: Leibold		JAzz Junior Achievement is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers — all working together to teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to young people all over the world. Students in Junior Achievement of the Fox Cities and Oshkosh recently created a business plan with the help of area volunteers. That is not unusual. What is different is these are jazz band students. Their business plans included a CD cover design, a poster design, a PowerPoint presentation and a 30 second video promoting their CD. They will be kicking off the sale of their CDs with a live performance at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on March 24th. JAzz Night will feature bands from Appleton East, Appleton North, Little Chute and Oshkosh West with guest performer Steve March Tormé. Tickets are available at the Fox Cities PAC for only $15 ($30 to also attend the pre-concert reception with New Orleans style food and music). We are proud to support Junior Achievement by designing the promotional poster for this special event.