Retailer promotion events continued to evolve as a promotion tactic in 2011. Seven out of nine areas reported by Kantar Media increased the use of retailer promotion pages in 2011 including Frozen Products, Personal Care and Health Care areas. The number of manufacturers utilizinghis tactic increased 16.9 percent in 2011 and has more than doubled since 2007. “To provide more actionable insights into how retailer programs are influencing shoppers in the home where they are building shopping lists and planning shopping trips, Marx will introduce DirectHEATTM Retail Insights in January 2012. DirectHEAT Retail Insights integrates retailer advertising, retailer FSI promotion events, and digital coupons distributed on retailer websites to provide new insights into how retailers and manufacturers are working together to drive trips, transactions, and profits,” said Hamric.

FSI coupon support was included as part of 291 new product introductions during this period, down from 344 during 2010. “FSI coupons continue to be an important advertising and promotion vehicle to create brand awareness and to incent trial purchasing for new product introductions,” noted David Hamric.

In 2011, the frequency of FSI events declined slightly with activity occurring on 47 of 52 weeks. The “pre-Mother’s Day” promotion week of May 1 had the greatest activity with a weighted average circulation of 156 pages. October 2 was the second most heavily weighted week with a total of 137 pages followed by the “pre-Labor Day” promotion week of August 28 with 126 pages.

During 2011, more than $421 billion in consumer incentives were delivered via FSI coupons, down 6.7 percent from 2010. During the same period, over 272 billion coupons were distributed within more than 205 billion FSI pages. For the first time in at least the last ten years, FSI coupon average Face Value did not increase. At $1.55, it showed a 0.2 percent decline versus 2010. Average Expiration (Fuse) continued a steady downward trend with a decrease to 8.1 weeks, down 5.2 percent versus a year ago. These trends indicate that manufacturers are managing their financial exposure by maintaining current offer values, reducing the number of coupons distributed, and shortening the length of time that these offers are available in the market.

Sector Activity - The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector remained the largest user of FSI pages with a 73.5 percent share, followed by Direct Response, which includes general advertising activity, and Franchise, comprised of restaurants, portrait studios, and other businesses. CPG pages distributed decreased for the first time since 2006, down 4.4 percent. Also continuing a downward trend, Direct Response posted a 3.9 percent decrease versus 2010; however, Franchise pages increased 4.2 percent after flat activity levels in 2010.

Top 10 Retailers based on Pages Circulated - Retailer promotion pages increased 30.7 percent to more than 17.0 billion pages in 2011. Walmart took the top spot from Dollar General with a 746.1 percent increase to 3.9 billion pages. Dollar General, in the second spot, was up 23.5 percent to 2.8 billion pages while Target dropped to third having remained flat at 2.2 billion pages. Walmart and Kmart had the largest jumps within the top 10, each moving up 6 spots to 1 and 10 respectively. These trends reflect the overall growth of retailer promotion within traditional FSI vehicles to drive shopping trips, transaction size, and overall profits across channels and retail formats.

Top 10 Categories for New Product Activity - During 2011, there were 291 new products that delivered FSI coupons across 590 event dates as part of their introduction, averaging 2.0 event dates per new product. This activity is down from 344 new products, 709 event dates, and 2.1 event dates per new product during 2010. Beverages tied with Alcoholic Beverages with the greatest number of new products in 2011, each having 18. Cereals followed with 17 new products and Snacks was fourth with 16 new products.

CPG Non-Food vs. Food - In 2011, Non-Food categories distributed more than 164 billion coupons, down 5.3 percent versus a year ago, driven by the 13.9 percent decline within the Household Products area. Food categories distributed more than 108 billion coupons, representing a decrease of 8.5 percent, led by the 17.9 percent decline for the Refrigerated Foods area. Seven of the nine areas defined by Kantar Media reported declines in Coupons Dropped during this period with Health Care and Personal Care areas remaining flat in 2011 versus 2010.

Manufacturers are increasing the value of the offers being delivered to consumers in the Food segment while reducing them slightly in the Non-Food segment. Weighted Average Face Value (WAFV) for Non-Food dropped 1.6 percent to $1.90 and was combined with a 1.8 point increase in Multiple Purchase Requirements (MPR) resulting in Weighted Average Face Value Per Unit (WAFVPU) decreasing 3.1 percent to $1.65. WAFV for Food increased 2.2 percent to $1.01 and was combined with a 3.0 point increase in MPR resulting in WAFVPU remaining flat at $0.74. These promotion tactics are designed to increase the number of products the consumer purchases per coupon to potentially increase brand loyalty or preempt competitive purchasing for a longer period of time.

Top 10 FSI Product Types in 2010 (by Coupons Dropped*)
- The top 10 product types based on Coupons Dropped accounted for 35.9 percent of all FSI coupon activity during 2011. Pet Food & Treats ranked first and decreased 7.1 percent to distribute more than 13.9 billion coupons. Combination/Personal products (comprised of Personal Care brands which are promoted across multiple individual Personal Care categories) maintained second place with a 9.0 percent decline to 13.4 billion coupons.

For more information at http://kantarmediana.com

“As a leading Spanish-language broadcaster, Entravision has provided me with a unique opportunity to play a vital role in the Denver, Colorado Springs and Aspen Hispanic communities by bringing them the entertainment, news and information that is most relevant to them,” said Daboub. “In my new position, I look forward to continuing to serve these communities through Entravision’s leading platforms: on TV, radio and the internet and other interactive media.”

Daboub is taking the place of Mario M. Carrera, who was recently promoted to the newly-created position of Senior Vice President of Spanish-Language Television, overseeing and managing all of Entravision’s Spanish-language television properties.

BabyCenter reflected these findings in an August 2011 survey, "Shopping Rituals of the American Mom," which also demonstrated that online activities related to shopping are important to moms. New-mom status made women more aware of value and quality, both research studies indicated.

BabyCenter's survey found that 71% of moms use websites such as shopping engines and review sites to compare prices, and 56% search for coupons or deals. Higher percentages of moms also turn to websites to compare product features and for product recommendations than to other information channels, such as retail stores or traditional media.

For more information at http://www.emarketer.com

Record-low mortgage rates sparked a refinancing boom that started more than a year ago and stretched through 2011. Requests to refinance surged in early December, as mortgage-interest rates dipped below 4 percent for a 30-year, fixed-rated loan, according to weekly data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

"It's all math," said Jeffrey Steed of Schmidt Mortgage Co. in Rocky River. "It's all going to be your individual situation, to just look at that math. But I think you start with 'How long do I intend to be there?' and you go from there."

The good news: Economists expect rates to skate along at low levels, so there's no need to rush. You have time to evaluate the worth of your home, consider the costs and shop for the best deal.

Before you jump on the refinancing bandwagon, here are some things to consider:

•It doesn't matter how low rates go. If you don't have a job or your credit history is tarnished, you'll struggle to get a loan. Check your credit score several months before trying to refinance, and clear up any inaccuracies on your report. Local mortgage brokers say applicants should show at least two years of steady employment.

"If you were laid off for six months in the past two years, and you were lucky enough to get another job, well, I'm glad you got another job," Steed said. "But it's going to be a problem."

•Lower your expectations. After years of home-price declines, your house probably isn't worth as much as you think it is. Before jumping into refinancing and paying for an appraisal, check out websites like Zillow.com, find out what nearby homes have fetched recently, and talk to real estate agents who are familiar with your neighborhood.

"A good lender will tell the buyer to spend some time doing research on their own," said Andy Neidus, branch manager at American Midwest Mortgage Corp. in Mayfield Heights.

• Fix up your home and collect records on any improvements you've made since your last appraisal. Consider how long you plan to stay in the house. If it's just a couple of years, you might not recoup the closing costs. So refinancing might not be worthwhile.

If you plan to live there long-term, consider options ranging from reducing your rate to changing your loan term -- to cut it back from a 30-year to a 15-year mortgage, for example. And run the numbers to see whether you'd be better off making a few extra monthly payments, to eliminate the loan faster, instead of refinancing.

• Research rates online or by calling local lenders. Use calculators at Bankrate.com to determine whether you should refinance and how long it will take to get back the money you spend on the process. Talk to your current lender, which might be able to use title work from a previous refinancing to save you money.

"You can call around, talk to real estate professionals to determine if the lender is reliable and has been in business long enough," Neidus said. "If they're reliable, they're not going to jack up the costs."

Sales of new U.S. homes rose in November to a seven-month high, adding to evidence of stabilization in the housing market. Purchases of single-family properties increased 1.6 percent to a 315,000 annual pace, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. The gain pushed the number of new homes on the market to a record low.

“All of the housing numbers have looked a lot better recently,” said Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Things aren’t getting any worse now and that’s an improvement.”

The November pace matched the median of 73 economists’ projections in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 298,000 to 350,000. The government revised October demand to a 310,000 rate from a previously reported 307,000.

Stocks held gains after the report, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbing 0.4 percent to 1,258.71 at 10:14 a.m. in New York. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.01 percent from 1.95 percent late yesterday.

Separate figures today showed personal spending rose less than forecast and an increase in orders for big-ticket items. Purchases rose 0.1 percent for a second month, according to the Commerce Department. Incomes also grew 0.1 percent, the weakest in three months, after a 0.4 percent rise in October.

Factory Orders - Orders for durable goods jumped 3.8 percent in November, led by a surge in bookings for aircraft, the agency also said. Demand for business equipment dropped 1.2 percent in November, the most since January.

The increase in new-home purchases was paced by a 12.9 percent jump in the South and a 7.5 percent gain in the Midwest Demand plunged 26.3 percent in the Northeast to the lowest on record. Sales slumped 16.9 percent in the West.

The median price of a new house purchased last month fell 2.5 percent from November 2010 to $214,100, the cheapest in a year, today’s report showed.

The supply of homes at the current sales rate dropped to 6 months’ worth, the lowest since March 2006, from 6.2 months in October. There were 158,000 new houses on the market at the end of last month, the fewest since record-keeping began in 1963.

Weakest Year - Still, 2011 may surpass last year as the weakest ever for new-home sales. Demand is on pace to reach 304,000 this year, less than the 323,000 in 2010 that was the lowest since data- keeping began, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Sales of previously owned homes, which make up about 94 percent of the market, rose 4 percent to a 4.42 million annual pace, the most since January, the National Association of Realtors said this week. The group revised down figures going back to 2007 by an average 14 percent, putting them more in line with other measures of demand.

New-home sales, which are tabulated when contracts are signed, have lost their ability to forecast the broader market as demand shifts to previously owned houses. Purchases of existing houses are calculated when a deal closes about a month or two later.

Builders increased work on new projects last month. Housing starts rose 9.3 percent to a 685,000 rate in November, the fastest pace since April 2010, Commerce Department data show. That compares with last year’s tally of 587,000, the second- fewest on record after 2009’s record low of 554,000.

The firms met last week's deadline to submit a proposal for what is expected to be a broad-based, three-year contract to market the city to residents, potential residents and visitors.

The contract includes providing marketing and advertising services to help increase passenger traffic at the city's airport, add natural gas customers for the city-owned Energy Services of Pensacola, market the Port of Pensacola, and assist all city departments with general advertising.

The city last had a general public information and advertising services contract about 3½ years ago with the Pensacola ad agency E.W. Bullock Associates. But that contract did not include the scope of services the new contract seeks.

Bullock still has separate marketing/advertising contracts for the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and ESP. The airport contract expires Sept. 30; the ESP contract expires March 31, 2013. The city is looking to combine these contracts and add additional services for general city departments.
Local proposals

Four Pensacola firms have submitted proposals, including Bullock, AC Advertising Agency, and idgroup consulting and creative. BPM Photography and Multimedia of Pensacola also has submitted a proposal in conjunction with the Zimmerman Agency of Tallahassee.

There is no requirement in the request that the winning company have an office in Pensacola.

The process for selecting the top firm has not yet been decided, city spokesman Travis Peterson said. A selection committee often is involved.

What is known is that the agency's fee will not be an initial consideration, said George Maiberger, city purchasing manager. Once the top-ranked firm has been selected, based strictly on the proposal, the city will enter negotiations with that firm, he said

The New American Mainstream Business Summit is one of the first gatherings in the country since the release of the 2010 Census showing historic shifts in the cultural makeup of the economy. It is also one of the largest gatherings of high-level executives willing to share key lessons learned within major organizations that have begun to address these shifts. The more than 50 million Hispanics in the U.S. account for more than one trillion dollars in annual purchasing power.

The New American Mainstream Business Summit will feature presentations, seminars, and in-depth case studies from top business leaders. Designed for corporate business leaders and marketing strategists, this year's conference will focus on addressing this rapidly changing market by improving messaging, sell-through, service and targeting of today's increasingly diverse American marketplace.

Some of the top speakers include:

Mr. Mark Addicks, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, General Mills - Mr. Addicks oversees the company's global brand-building strategy, including its advertising, promotions, PR, design, packaging, online, licensing, and multicultural initiatives. Mark also has pioneered several cutting edge propriety marketing ventures.

Mr. Oris Stuart, CEO and Managing Partner, Global Novations - Stuart helped lead the formation of Global Novations as one of the world's leading talent management organizations.

Mr. Mark Lopez, Head of Hispanic Audience, Google - a digital media executive and is currently Head of U.S. Hispanic Audience for Google. As Head of the U.S. Hispanic Audience, Mark is responsible for developing and growing Google's U.S. Hispanic media business.

Mr. Sean Flynn, Chief Marketing Officer, Florida Marlins - Flynn oversees all aspects of the Marlins marketing efforts, and has been particularly involved in its multicultural marketing efforts.

Ms. Chiqui Cartegena, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Univision - an Hispanic media and marketing pioneer with 25 years of experience leading some of America's most successful Spanish-language magazines, including People en Español, and marketing programs such as Club Música Latina for Columbia House.

Ms. Danielle Gonzalez, EVP, Managing Director, Tapestry Agency - Gonzales specializes in developing plans for companies to reach Hispanic audiences. Gonzales leads all broadcast negotiations for Tapestry, which is responsible for approximately 20 percent of all Hispanic media buys in the country.

Mr. Javier Palomarez, President and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - Palomarez serves as a national advocate, representing the interests of over 200 local Hispanic chambers of commerce and nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned U.S. businesses.

About Geoscape - Geoscape serves its clients by providing business strategy, analytics, research, databases and automated intelligence systems. The online Geoscape Intelligence System (GIS), the DirecTarget® database enrichment system and a variety of geo-demographic, consumer, business and media databases enable actionable insights that lead our clients to gain significant business advantages. Geoscape is a privately held company owned by Goldman Sachs, Inc. NMS Capital and César M Melgoza, Founder & CEO, and is headquartered in Miami.

Contact: David Radoff, Geoscape 415-760-6336

“Almost half of the Clark County School District’s kindergartners are Hispanic, and that percentage is expected to grow in coming years, speaking to the vitality of many Hispanic families.

The growing political power of Nevada’s Hispanic population also can be found in the election in November of Gov. Brian Sandoval and a record number of Hispanic state lawmakers. It’s a political, social and economic formula that speaks to a changing, vibrant economic base that has spread to Summerlin, Green Valley and other upper middle-class neighborhoods. Yet even in these recessionary times, hundreds, maybe thousands, of small, medium and large business operators fail to tap into the market.”

“Market research shows that nearly two-thirds of Southern Nevada’s Hispanics lack some form of health insurance and are reluctant to purchase synthetic pharmaceutical products. So they stay away from chains that market costly, unfamiliar products.”

Barrientos believes that, with the Hispanic community approaching $12 billion dollars in buying power, many modern mega-chains are neglecting a very powerful potential market by not providing a cultural touch to their stores. Providing things as simple as Hispanic service clerks to identify culturally with the needs of the customers in the store would go a long way towards attracting the business of an ever-expanding Hispanic community.

And with over half of the county kindergartners being Hispanic and expanding each year there should be no reason why any business would not want to serve this part of the community. Look for Walmart to be paving the way as an example on how other companies can reach out to a specific culture while staying true to their own business plan.

Used with the permission of EducationNews.org

"For almost twelve years, Batanga has consistently delivered the U.S. Hispanic online audience to hundreds of advertisers. These acquisitions will allow us to grow our U.S. Hispanic business as well as deliver audiences in some of the fastest growing emerging online markets in the world," said Rafael Urbina, Chairman and CEO, Batanga, Inc. "Our commitment to the U.S. Hispanic online market has never been stronger and we are now poised to offer the same quality products throughout Mexico and Latin America."

Based in Argentina, Adfunky is a fast growing ad network and digital media company founded by Internet veterans to boost the results of advertisers, agencies and publishers. "Uniting Adfunky's audience and expertise, both in the U.S. and abroad, with Batanga's sophisticated products will create impactful opportunities for advertisers," said Mariano Burstein, Co-Founder, Adfunky. "We are thrilled to be part of such an innovative team," echoed Matias Charas, Co-Founder, Adfunky. "Collectively, we have much more insight and understand Hispanics online better than anyone else."

I-Network, a Bogota-based online marketing company, is a clear leader in the markets it operates in. "We are eager to join forces with Batanga and work alongside U.S. marketers looking to reach a Latin American audience," said Juan Carlos Samper, CEO, I-Network. "As the marketplace continues to evolve, Batanga is ready to deliver the Latin consumer in the U.S. and abroad."

About Batanga, Inc.- Batanga, Inc. is the largest independent digital media company serving the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. Its holdings include Batanga Network, Batanga.com, Adfunky and I-Network. Batanga Network reaches the most U.S. Hispanics online, across all categories and demographics. Adfunky is the fastest growing advertiser-centric ad network and marketing solutions provider in Latin America, while I-Network is the largest, independent digital rep firm and ad network serving the fast growing Andean, Caribbean and Central American markets. Batanga, Inc. maintains offices in Miami, Mexico City, Bogota and Buenos Aires, with sales offices in Cali, Caracas, Chicago, Guatemala, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Medellin, New York City, Panama, Quito, San Francisco, San Jose, San Salvador, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Santa Cruz, Sao Paulo and Tegucigalpa. For more information visit www.batanganetwork.com.

SOURCE Batanga RELATED LINKS http://www.batanganetwork.com

About 30 local businesses will participate in the Green Builds Business sessions, which will explore three main areas: how to grow green revenues, selling into the green supply chain, and reducing expenses by going green. Of the best practices that Roth will discuss in his workshops, he singles out and underscores the one at the very top: Aligning value with values.
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Roth emphasizes that the point of the tour is to generate results for the attending businesses. Each participant will create a green project that they can implement right away—green in both the environmental and profit sense.

In developing their projects, local business owners will learn what’s working for businesses in other places and make the local connections necessary to help them in their efforts towards sustainable practices. Up to three businesses in each city, those with the most “engaging ideas,” says Roth, will receive additional coaching by Earth 2017 paid for by Walmart.

Roth has a graduate degree in economics with a lifelong passion for efficiency, a naturally green/sustainable concept as he points out. The 2017 in Earth 2017 refers to the year in which the global market for sustainable products is expected to reach $10 trillion.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Milwaukee is launching site for 11-city Green Builds Business coaching tour - Milwaukee Marketing | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/marketing-in-milwaukee/milwaukee-is-launching-site-for-11-city-green-builds-business-coaching-tour#ixzz1Oi8kPbK4

Consumers appreciate companies’ efforts to provide custom media: More than three-quarters say they understand that these companies are selling something, but feel it is okay since the information provided is valuable. 7 in 10 consumers say they prefer to learn about a company through a collection of articles rather than in an ad.

Custom media positively impacts purchase decisions: Two-thirds of consumers say the information provided by custom media helps them make better purchase decisions. More than half say they are more willing to buy another product from a company that provides them with custom media.

Custom media strengthens consumers’ perception of company: 6 in 10 say that after reading a custom publication, they feel like they know more, and feel better, about the company.

Consumers are familiar with a broad range of custom media: 8 in 10 consumers say they have seen custom content in the form of print magazines or newsletters. Almost half have seen digital magazines; one-third have seen custom content in white papers and in social media. One-quarter have seen webcasts/podcasts.

For more information at http://www.customcontentcouncil.com>

Both courses last 13 weeks and they are asynchronous so that students can work at their own pace. Professionals receive a certificate of completion. These two courses are part of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University. Registration is open now and you are encouraged to apply soon. These affordable online courses are part of an ongoing effort of the Center to provide continuing education and serving the community.

“The buying power of Hispanics will rise from $1 trillion in 2010 to $1.5 trillion in 2015, accounting for nearly 11% of the nation's total buying power," said Lauren Zalaznick, Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media. “NBCUniversal is in a tremendous position to super-serve this growing and influential marketplace, with our unrivaled Hispanic audience reach and our proven track record of cross platform success."

In connection with the launch, the company conducted a proprietary study, “Transformers: Multicultural Women As The Shape Shifters of America,” which examined the identity of the female multicultural consumer. With women overall being responsible for 85% of today's consumer purchases, the findings underscore the enormous opportunity marketers have to reach a powerful audience that is extraordinarily underserved.

Unlike their white counterparts, the majority of which feel saturated with marketing messages, the study found that multicultural women are eagerly seeking brand attention. This is particularly true for more highbrow brands, with three times as many multicultural women looking for information in this category. These brands include organics/health food (41% vs. 14%), technology (41% vs. 11%), cosmetics (41% vs. 11%), and higher educational institutions (44% vs. 14%). This is in stark contrast to the brands they feel currently target their race/culture the most, such as fast-food brands and snack food brands.

The research reveals that “multifaceted” may be a more accurate way to describe today's “multicultural” women. “Mom” emerges as the clear common denominator for all women, regardless of race. While racial and cultural descriptors are an important part of their identity, an overwhelming 97% of multicultural women, identify themselves first and foremost as “mom,” “sister,” “daughter” and “friend”- with “mom” topping the list.

In addition, the survey shows stereotypes are still a hot-button issue among multiculturals. Respondents claim they would rather be “under-repped” than “over-typed.” When given the choice, 54% of multicultural respondents would rather not be represented at all in ad campaigns than be inaccurately portrayed.

When asked what percentage their own race/culture is of the entire U.S. population, Hispanic respondents estimated 43% vs. the actual 16% number found by the 2010 Census. The fact that Hispanics already perceive themselves to be the majority may be an additional reason why they feel so underserved by marketers.

Methodology: Survey conducted in February 2011 among 2,085 U.S. residents of Caucasian, Asian, African American Hispanic and multi-racial/other origins. Survey was conducted online in the language of the respondents choice (Spanish or English), as well as in-person intercepts reaching Spanish-dominant individuals not represented online.

The fact is, many marketers do both - general and discrete advertising - and that trend is very much in favor of doing both. For market indicators, look at the media (CNN, Fox News), politics (Newt Gingrich's The Americano), and the CPG market (Kraft, General Mills), and you can see the principle in action. More and more, marketers are coming to see that producing content that is targeted and culturally relevant can be an effective way of engaging people with shared values. And, note, when we say culture, we don't necessarily mean language. Most of these programs are in English. As a number of marketers have noted, Latino marketing today is more about values than language.

After two dreadful years, most sectors of the industry saw revenue begin to recover. With some notable exceptions, cutbacks in newsrooms eased. And while still more talk than action, some experiments with new revenue models began to show signs of blossoming.

When the final tallies are in, we estimate 1,000 to 1,500 more newsroom jobs will have been lost -- meaning newspaper newsrooms are 30% smaller than in 2000.