Captivating Connections.

did you eat breakfast this AM?

If not, you're among the 10% of U.S. consumers who skip breakfast every day.

(Didn't you ever heat that it's the most important meal of the day?!)

According to research by The NPD Group, "men 18 to 34 years old skip breakfast the most...28 percent of men in this age group skipped breakfast.

Adults 55 and older skipped breakfast the least, with only 11 percent of males in this age bracket missing the meal and 10 percent of females avoiding the first meal of the day. Regarding teenagers aged 13 to 17, the percent of youngsters who are awake but don't eat or drink anything in the morning came in at 14 percent, the research revealed."

So, what's with the meal skipping?

"Top reasons individuals gave for not eating anything before 11 a.m. was not being hungry or thirsty, or they didn't feel like eating or drinking. Other reasons were consumers were too busy, had time constraints or were running late."

Makes you hungry just reading this, right?

 

earth-shattering findings: women are master social media communicators

Harris Interactive did a study looking at how people use social media as a communication tool. What did they find?

"Women now dominate men in their use of social media as a communication tool."

BOOM!

"Among online adults, 68% of women now communicate via social media, compared to 54% of men in the United States. By Harris Interactive's estimation, that translates to approximately 75 million women who communicate with friends using social networks versus 57 million men."

So, basically, us women are killing it as master communicators. 

does your gender or age impact whether or not you 'Like' an ad?

According to SocialCode, yes!

Based on their research, "older consumers are more likely to click on a Facebook ad, while younger consumers, who are more comfortable with interacting with brands on Facebook, are more likely to click 'like'."

Also, "women are more likely to click on an ad on Facebook, though both men and women are about equally likely to then click 'like' once they’ve done so, the study found. The average clickthrough rate for women of all ages was 0.029%, compared to 0.026% for men of all ages. The 'like' rate among those who clicked an ad was 39% for women and 38% for men."

the migration of video watching.

According to a recent Frank N. Magid Associates study sponsored by Metacafe, "consumer behavior continues to integrate more video in everyday life. It turns out that 23% of survey respondents watch daily, up from 13% in 2010. Overall, 57% of Internet users watch online videos weekly, up from 50% last year."

So, who do you think is the heaviest video viewer? Men!

"Males ages 18 to 34 watch 7.8 hours of online video weekly, compared with 5.6 hours per week among all viewers ages 8 to 64. Many participants in the survey expect to watch 10% more online video within the next year."

The driver of this trend? Emerging technology!

"Emerging technologies have begun to show promise when it comes to connecting with entertainment and video content. About 30% of online view viewers watch content on a mobile phone, Internet-connected television or wireless tablet.

Internet TV continues to grow in acceptance, with 25% of online video viewers accessing the Internet through their TV set and an additional 34% interested in hooking in at a later time, according to the Frank N. Magid study.

About 158.1 million U.S. Internet users will download or stream video at least monthly via any device in 2011, representing 68.2% of Web users -- up to 76% by 2015, according to eMarketer."

men make purchase decisions, too. seriously.

We know Moms are a hot target, but don't forget the Men!

"According to the Jacobs Media 'Marketing to Men' survey of over 13,000 adult radio listeners, men are no pushovers when it comes to making purchase decisions. In terms of big-ticket items, 59.1% of men considered themselves either the sole or key decision-maker in the household, compared with 55.7% of women.

Even for smaller items (under $500), such as clothes, electronics and entertainment, 69.2% of men were the sole or key decision-makers. This was less than the 72.4% of women who said the same, but still a large response.

About 3 out of 10 men are single, making them the sole decision-makers for every purchase. But the remaining 70% who are relationships also have a big influence. Women reported being heavily dependent on their spouse/partner for recommendations: 90% of females surveyed cited their significant other as important when purchasing big-ticket items.

While men may share as much of the responsibility for making purchase decisions as women, they shop differently. In the Jacobs study, research was more likely to play a part in the purchases of men, while impulse buying played a bigger role in the purchases of women."

 

men aren't (always) the stereotypes we think they are.

According to Jacobs Media's "Marketing To Men" survey, "men play a crucial role in purchasing decisions -- both big and small -- that defies stereotypes." 

Who knew?

So, what'd they find?

"The study shows that three of 10 men are single, and more than 80% of them make the sole or key big-ticket decisions in their households. This segment of the male population is a hidden opportunity for marketers --- they profile equal to or better than women in their decision-making power and are a significant opportunity for growth.

The study also indicates that women agree that men should have major input in decisions about buying big-ticket items. In fact, six in 10 women say a recommendation from a spouse or partner is a deciding factor when making major purchases.

Six in 10 men play a key role in the big-ticket item buying process. They either are the sole decision makers or play a key role in the purchase of items like homes, cars and major appliances."

 

mobile web still has a ways to go.

Despite this "finally" being the 'year of mobile' and mobile Internet proliferating among consumers, "mobile web use is still heaviest among typical early adopters—males and younger adults—and while many are already addicted to the convenience, they are also frustrated by the downsides of the web on the go.

According to January 2011 research conducted by YouGov on behalf of mobile solutions provider Antenna Software, 20% of US mobile phone users use the mobile internet at least daily, with usage most frequent among those under 45. Men were 7 percentage points more likely to use the mobile internet each day than women.

The same two groups were most likely to complain about the speed and size of the mobile web experience. Among males, 44% said the small size of mobile screens discouraged them from using the internet4, vs. 38% of women. In addition, 36% of men said it was too slow, compared to 29% of women.

Similarly, users under age 45 were significantly more likely to complain about the speed of the mobile web, and respondents under 55 were frustrated by the size of mobile web displays. Only one group reported greater frustration with any aspect of the mobile internet: Fully half of adults ages 18 to 24 were annoyed that some website designs did not work at all on their phones.

Overall, significant proportions of mobile internet users said they would do more activities on their phone if the display were tailored especially for mobile use."

 

dudes leading adaptation of location-based apps & services.

"Location-based services offer marketers enticing opportunities to connect with their targets in more relevant and meaningful ways, but uptake has been cautious. Usage surged last year—according to SNL Kagan, the number of US users nearly tripled in 2010—but just 4% of online Americans participate in location-sharing services, found the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November.

A December 2010 Microsoft survey conducted by Cross-Tab Marketing Services in Canada, Germany, Japan, the UK and US found that overall, about six in 10 internet users were aware of location-based services and just over half had used them. Most common were map and weather applications—just 18% had used a service to share their location with others.

Usage varied widely with demographics. Unsurprisingly for a relatively new trend, younger respondents were more likely to be aware of and familiar with location-based services, and were also most likely to use the services themselves."

are men taking over the grocery cart?

According to a new study from Yahoo, over half of men ages 16 to 64 "now identify themselves as the primary grocery shoppers in their households. Dads in particular are taking up the shopping cart, with about six in 10 identifying themselves as their household's decision maker on packaged goods, health, pet and clothing purchases. Not surprisingly, given that such ads long have been crafted for women, only 22% to 24% of men felt advertising in packaged goods, pet supplies or clothing speaks to them, according to the Yahoo survey.

The Great Recession has thrown millions of men in construction, manufacturing and other traditionally male occupations out of work and by extension into more domestic duties. At the same time, gender roles were already changing anyway, with Gen X and millennial men in particular more likely to take an active role in parenting and household duties.

Of course, in the survey, men could be overestimating their own role in shopping for the family. Lauren Weinberg, director-research and insights for Yahoo, acknowledges that could be possible -- and that women don't see them making as much progress on that front. But she said the fact that so many men now see themselves as masters of the shopping cart not only reflects real shifts but also means any stigma once attached to men as shoppers is fading fast."

jewelry stores are lovin men today.

It's funny because it's true....

"They are the spouses, the boyfriends, the loved ones, all who, up until this week, have been steering clear of malls and anything that requires gift-wrapping.

But in these last few days, they have suddenly assumed a predictable stance, bending over glass counters and snapping up necklaces, bracelets and rings. During what retailers call 'desperation week,' spending on jewelry stands out, spiking high at the end of the holiday season. And the procrastinating male shopper gets much of the credit.

'You’re talking about a lot of male purchases, a lot of last-minute purchases there,' said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis for MasterCardAdvisors SpendingPulse, which tracks all sales. 'That tends to be an area where you can get a lot of purchasing done in a very efficient amount of time.'

Both higher-end retailers, like Tiffany and De Beers Diamond Jewellers, and mass chains like J.C. Peny say that this week is typically strong for jewelry. Last year, for instance, more than $709 million was spent on jewelry on Dec. 23 and 24 alone, representing 10 percent of the entire month’s jewelry sales, according to SpendingPulse.