Friday, August 28, 2009

Creating the At-Home College Workspace

Back to school time is here. I know firsthand how much kids hate the audacity of marketers pushing back-to-school season earlier and earlier in the summer. Wal-Mart had back-to-school supplies fully stocked and displayed shortly after July 4th. At Wal-Mart, Independence Day meant just the opposite to students just beginning to enjoy their summer vacation.

For college-bound kids, back to school season means something very different than their younger counterparts. For many, it means moving out of the house again and back into the textbook jungle. This, like nearly everything else about our lives has become slightly soured by the recession.
In fact, more students will be opting to stay home and commute to school this year. If a student is looking to save money, cutting out housing costs is a great way to do it.

This is an opportunity for retailers to profit by showing students that they understand what they are going through. I see an opportunity for businesses to allow students to Create Their College Workspace. Many students' bedrooms at home haven't been updated for a long time and are lacking the workspace function that would suit their current collegiate needs. Therefore, businesses can still sell desks, chairs, lamps, and organization materials that these young adults will need to create a college environment in their bedroom at home.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising, Inc.
Insight@bbggadv.com
845-291-7399
Visit us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBGGadv
BBGGadv.com

Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Who's Still Spending?

No consumer is immune to the effects of this "economic event" that we are trudging through. I've mentioned in my blog earlier that consumers are actively cutting back on impulse buys, expensive food purchases, and vacations.

But not all consumers are impacted in the same way. I have come across some research indicating that while the behavior of the Baby Boomer generation and Generation X(ages 25-34) is actively changing in response to this economy, the behavior of other age segments is being impacted less by the trials and tribulations of the economy.

Higher income seniors and Generation Y (consumers ages 18-24) aren't making large changes to their buying behavior. Generation Y consumers have the least financial obligations of all of the groups and the higher income seniors generally have more of a savings cushion than any other group, which could lead these groups to feel more comfortable living their normal lifestyle.

Individually, these two consumer groups represent a small segment of total consumer spending power -- seniors at 14% and Generation Y at a mere 5%. However, if these age groups are your business's main revenue stream, then it is very important for you to know that although everybody is cutting back to some extent, the purchasing behaviors of these two groups are impacted the least by the down economy.

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising and Public Relations
BusinessCardContacts.com
SmartStrategies@bbggadv.com

Labels: , , , ,

Monday, March 23, 2009

Professional Networking Opportunities Rise in Social Networking

According to the newest Nielsen Company online social media study, the fastest growing segment in social networking media in 2008 was in the 35-49 year old demographic. Facebook, the dominant player in the global social networking media world added twice as many 50-64 year old users as they did users under 18 in 2008. This is an indicator that the user makeup of social networking media is changing.

This means that more businesspeople will be on Facebook, Twitter, and on blogs. This trend can open up Facebook to professional networking opportunities, in addition to the social aspects that the social networking sites have already established. 

Think about adding clients as friends on Facebook, inviting them to your companies' Facebook groups, or following their tweets on Twitter. Professional interaction can become much easier and more personalized through these social networking media means if it is used properly.

Are you on Facebook? We are! Look for Businesscardcontacts.com on facebook today. 

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising & PR
BusinessCardContacts.com

Labels: , , , , ,