2011 in Review: At the Movies

Grab your popcorn…it’s showtime for the year’s Top Movies, as we continue our year-end review of our What’s Hot/What’s Not selection (courtesy of our monthly Consumer Intentions & Actions® survey¹).

As you already know, we ask respondents to rate a list of trends, personalities, events, etc. as “hot” or “not”; the items we ask about are based on input from our respondents from the previous month’s survey as well as a variety of current trending topics.

While we only asked about 13 productions in 2011, it’s clear that consumers were most eagerly anticipating sequels. With the exception of The Help (Sept-11) – the overall favorite among Women – our Top 5 movies were continuations of storylines previously viewed on the big screen:

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Jul-11)²
2. X-Men: First Class (Jun-11)
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Jul-11)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May-11)
5. [tie] Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Dec-11)
   [tie] The Help (Sept-11)

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem that moviegoers were eager to declare their allegiance to Team Edward Robert Pattinson, at least according to our Adults 18+ [read: non-tweens]. His two major outings for 2011, Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Nov-11) and Water for Elephants (Apr-11), landed at the bottom of our list. Now does this mean that consumers thought that these were the worst movies for 2011? Absolutely not (and box office results dispute this…as well as yours truly). But, among the movies we surveyed, our lower ranking ones were simply less anticipated than the likes of Transformers, X-Men, and the gang from Hogwarts.

Be sure to click the chart below for the full ranking of our 2011 films.

Hottest Movies in 2011 (click to enlarge)

And, stay tuned…in a few days, we will also be releasing our list of Top Celebrities/Personalities for 2011.

Do you have a suggestion for the 2012 What’s Hot/What’s Not list or see anything surprising in this list? Please leave a comment below.

And, for more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

¹ Hottest Trends for 2011 are limited to the 145 trends, personalities, events, etc. that were included in one of the 12 2011 Consumer Intentions & Actions® Surveys. Looking for Ryan Gosling, Charlie Sheen, Pippa Middleton, Keurig Coffee Makers, Occupy Wall Street, or Groupon? We got ‘em. Sorry about your luck on George Clooney, Zooey Deschanel, beach vacations, any of the Real Housewives, or Sperry Topsiders; they just didn’t make the our cut this year.

² The month/year each item was asked is denoted in parenthesis (MMM-YY).

Source: Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey, JAN – DEC 2011

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

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Pursuit of Happiness? Or Quest for Cash?

With a struggling economy and growing numbers of budget-conscious consumers, does the need for cash outweigh the desire to live a full life? Thankfully, no! On a 7-pt scale from “Make Money” to “Enjoy Life,” the majority of all Generations place themselves closer to the “Enjoy Life” side. Members of the Silent Generation (born 1945 or earlier) are the most likely to be living life to the fullest, averaging a 5.3 out of a perfectly happy 7. Gen X and Gen Y, scoring 4.5 and 4.6 respectively, still seem to have wealth woes holding them back from a more gung ho pursuit of happiness. (See the report here!)

Members of the Silent Generation appear to be sitting pretty—either already retired or poised to be so soon. 93.5% of them would rather spend time with family than spend time making money and 87.3% would like to spend time with friends (12.7% would choose a new technology device over their friends!) At this time in their lives, the majority of the Silent Generation would also like to have a full life (87.6%) rather than a full bank account (12.4%).

On the other side of the generation spectrum, members of Generation Y seem to be divided. Half of them appear to be doing well financially (either living with parents or gettin’ paper like Chris Brown) while the other half is struggling to make ends meet. Almost half (43.6%) would choose a job that pays well over one they truly enjoy. This compares to only a third (34.2%) of all Americans who would trade job satisfaction for a bigger paycheck. There are times when I agree with these struggling Gen Yers (a girl’s gotta eat!), but lucky for me, I have a fulfilling job that also pays the bills.

Good (and surprising to some) news, friends still trump tech toys for members of Gen Y! 76.8% of Gen Y would rather hang with friends than twitter around with a new smartphone or tablet (23.2%). Although my smartphone is addicting, I agree with the majority here—friends make my life more enjoyable than my smartphone (although Words with Friends combines the best of both worlds).

Even though money is tight, enjoying my life to the fullest is much more important to me than making money or buying “stuff.” Sure, I would love to have a full bank account (for now, a stable one will do), but I would much rather have a full life. In order to achieve this, I give up certain “luxuries” so I have some spare cash. It’s all about priorities—gas money to visit home is more important than paying for cable. Going out with friends is more important than a trip to the mall to buy new shoes or get a haircut. When you think about it, what good is “stuff” when you have no one to share it with? (And I mean in person sharing, not Facebook bragging sharing)

Where do you stand on the scale from “Make Money” to “Enjoy Life”? How do you find ways to pursue happiness in a tough economy? We love to hear from you!

The IT List: Hottest Trends for 2011

One of the more lively parts of our monthly survey is our What’s Hot/What’s Not section. Here, we ask respondents to rate a list of trends, personalities, events, etc. as “hot” or “not”; the items we ask about are based on input from our respondents from the previous month’s survey as well as a variety of current trending topics (i.e. expect Tim Tebow on the list in January 2012).

As 2011 comes to a close, we thought it’d be fun to take each and every item from our What’s Hot/What’s Not list for the year and compile the granddaddy of all “IT” lists: The Hottest Trends for 2011.¹ So without further ado…

#10 Kindle Fire (Dec-11)²

This modestly priced tablet device quickly made Amazon.com’s bestseller list when it debuted in November. We’re just guessing here, but you can probably expect [quite] a few of these under the tree this year.

#9 Tablet Devices (Aug-11)³

Whether it’s the Kindle Fire, Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, or any one of a number of other Tablet Devices, consumers were hot for these gadgets in 2011. (And, current Android tablet device owners should be sure to check out our free InsightCenter™ apps.)

At #8, Solar Power was the top green-minded trend for 2011.

#8 Solar Power (Jul-11)

Going green was definitely red hot this year, with Solar Power leading the conservation-minded pack.

#7 Sending a Text (Oct-11)

While this ain’t your grandparents’ favorite form of communication, Sending a Text bested both Sending an Email (#13) and Sending a Card through the Mail (#49) when we asked in October. BTW, Sending an Email is the favored communication among Adults 55+.

Betty White is Golden at #6.

#6 Betty White (Feb-11)

For the lovely Ms. White, 2011 was a continuation of a hot streak enjoyed by the near-nonagenarian since her scene-stealing role in The Proposal. Here’s to a wonderful 2012…as well as another gig on SNL…for this Golden Girl. #loveyoubetty

#5 Cookouts (Jul-11)

What’s more American than Cookouts in July? Maybe apple pie, but desserts weren’t on the menu included in our CIA® surveys this year.

#4 Apple iPad (Dec-11)

While we didn’t survey apple pie, that other Apple – as in the iPad – dominated the devices we asked about this year. December was the second time in 2011 we asked about the iPad…the first was in April (#21), so this device picked up steam as the year wound down. The aforementioned Kindle Fire (#10) as well as the Nook Tablet (#47, Dec-11) were the other specific tablet devices we surveyed this year.

#3 Having a Full-Time Job (Oct-11)

It’s a sure barometer of our economic health when the temperature’s this high on holding down full-time employment. Let’s hope that the 2012 job market is more prosperous.

We’re saying “Thanks” for reading this blog!

#2 Giving Thanks (Nov-11)

While Black Friday (#14, Nov-11) is increasingly giving Thanksgiving a run for its money, simply Giving Thanks was the second hottest item on our list this year.

Super Bowl XLV wins in 2011.

#1 Super Bowl XLV (Feb-11)

Is the 2011 Packer-Steelers match-up – and the most-watched TV program in U.S. history – a surprise to anyone? Even if you’re not into football, plenty of consumers used Super Bowl XLV as an excuse to view hotly-anticipated commercials, get together with friends, and enjoy the halftime entertainment.

Who were the hottest personalities for 2011? How about the top trends in fashion, entertainment, gadgetry, and going green? Stay tuned in the coming weeks for additional blog releases on this data.

Do you have a suggestion for the 2012 What’s Hot/What’s Not list or see anything surprising in this Top 10 list? Please leave a comment below.

And, for more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

¹ The Hottest Trends for 2011 is limited to the 145 trends, personalities, events, etc. that were included in one of the 12 2011 Consumer Intentions & Actions® Surveys. Looking for Ryan Gosling, Charlie Sheen, Pippa Middleton, Keurig Coffee Makers, Occupy Wall Street, or Groupon? We got ‘em. Sorry about your luck on George Clooney, Zooey Deschanel, beach vacations, any of the Real Housewives, or Sperry Topsiders; they just didn’t make the our cut this year.

² The month/year each item was asked is denoted in parenthesis (MMM-YY).

³ Tablet Devices were also included in the What’s Hot/What’s Not section in Nov-11, landing at #15 on the Hottest Trends for 2011 list.

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development

2011 Wrap-up + New Holiday Insights

For the final BIG Call of 2011, we presented new Holiday Insights (as reported here by the National Retail Federation) as well as 13 month snapshots for Consumer Confidence, Employment Outlook, Practical Purchasing, and Personal Finances.

Key Takeaways:

Consumer Confidence: It’s been a bumpy ride this year, but consumers are closing out 2011 with nearly the same perspective on confidence in a strong economy as they did 365 days ago. There’s still a long way to go, though, before consumers begin to have warm and fuzzy feelings about the economy again.

Employment: Although the official U.S. unemployment rate reached a two year low in November, consumers have a nearly identical outlook for the job market now as they did at the end of 2010. Concern for the job market is still very real, which will play into the decisions consumers make in 2012 regarding their debt, savings, and spending as well as who they plan to vote for in the upcoming Presidential election.

Practicality: While consumers feel roughly the same way that they did headed into 2011, times over the past 13 months have been tougher, yet they’ve been better, too. Cautious spending will likely stick around in the New Year.

Personal Finances: Paying down debt and decreasing overall spending remain the top financial goals, but the importance of increasing savings is growing as we close 2011. It looks like consumers will begin 2012 with a more fiscally conservative mindset than they did for the start of 2011.

Holiday: Fewer consumers have completed holiday shoppers compared to this time last year. As of the first week of December, one in three shoppers either hadn’t started yet or has completed less than 10% of their purchases. Since displacing credit cards in 2005, debit cards continue as the most popular payment method for the holiday season. It appears that consumers do seem to be continuing to make a conscious effort to stay off the credit cards and stay on budget.

To listen to the recorded webinar, click here.

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Generation Gap: Who’s Excited about the Holiday Season?

With the holiday season in full swing and Christmas just days away, it’s hard not to get excited about this time of year…or is it? Findings from our American Pulse™ survey indicate that this really depends on what generation you belong to:

Silent (born 1945 or earlier)
Boomers (born 1946 – 1964)
Gen X (born 1965 – 1982)
Gen Y (born 1983 – 1993)

Overall, the majority of consumers (50.5%) say they get very or somewhat excited for the holiday season this year, while one in four (24.5%) aren’t at all or aren’t very excited about the prospect of untangling lights, fighting crowds at malls, and hearing I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas on regular rotation on their favorite radio station [blech].

While no particular generation says “Bah Humbug” to the holidays, it’s evident that the older generations definitely find less to get excited about. Fewer than two in five (38.2%) of those in the Silent generation get somewhat or very excited as the holiday season rolls around, just slightly more Boomers (39.5%) say the same. The excitement level of Gen X-ers (53.4%) indexes higher than average, while nearly three in four (72.7%) Gen Y youngsters get downright twitterpated at the thought of candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup (OK, maybe that’s just Buddy the Elf).

About one in three of those in the Silent (31.2%) and Boomer (31.4%) generations say they just aren’t at all or aren’t very excited for the holiday season this year. Fewer Gen X-ers (23.5%) feel this way, while just one in ten of those in Gen Y (10.4%) say the same.

Three out of five (59.7%) holiday celebrants say they most look forward to spending time with family and friends during the season; about three in ten (29.6%) are actually dreading this time of year because money is tight. Just 10.6% is most looking forward to finding the perfect gift for everyone on their lists.*

While spending time with family and friends is the top priority for each generation, more Silents (70.4%) and – surprise! – Gen Y-ers (64.2%) are prone to indicate this. One in three of those in the Boomer (35.1%) and Gen X (32.9%) generations say aren’t looking forward to the holidays due to money concerns; Silents (24.6%) and Gen Y-ers (20.0%) are much less likely to indicate that money is putting a Grinch wrench in their holiday plans.

Finally, while I still refuse to disclose my age, I will admit that I [thankfully] do belong in a generation that tends to look forward to shopping during the holiday season. Those in the Gen X (13.4%) and Gen Y (15.8%) groups are more likely to indicate that they most look forward to finding the perfect holiday gifts, compared to Silents (5.0%) and Boomers (6.6%).

For more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

* For this question, consumers were asked to select one of the following phrases that best describes them: “I am looking forward to finding the perfect gifts for everyone on my list,” “I am looking forward to spending time with family and friends,” and “I am dreading the holiday season because money is tight.”

Source: American Pulse™ Survey, OCT-11 #2

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Slap a Red Bow on that!

It is that time of year again, the holiday season. All the amazing sights, smells and sounds like that brand new car sitting outside your house wrapped in a big red bow…wait what!

Ads for automobiles are plentiful year round, but during the holiday season they seem to have more of an abundance of red bows than anything else. This year, I tried to get my parents to gift me a new or used car with a red bow on top (and I did specify the red bow), but then I remembered what kind of compact car my siblings got when they asked for one…a matchbox car. So let me say, that item got crossed off my list pretty fast.

However, just because it is crossed out on my list, does not mean I can stop dreaming of a future car…but which one? What do consumers recommend? (My 98’ Jeep does not make the top list…)

According to the November CIA®, the most recommended automobile from consumers is Lexus with a Net Promoter Score* of 61.8%, followed closely by Subaru (54.7%) and Mercedes-Benz (54.2%).

You can see the rest of the report here. Does your car make it to the top of the list?

So instead of asking for an auto gift for myself, I can give you the gift of auto insights! (It is better to give then to receive!!) Prosper recently introduced the Automotive Android™ Tablet App and InsightCenter™, a uniquetool, that provides a complimentary look at the automotive market through the eyes of the consumer.  

Want to know what consumers are driving, what they are planning on buying, what they just bought, reasons for buying which media influences them to purchase and even Net Promoter Scores? Spend some time with our Automotive InsightCenter.

And remember, if you are asking for a car for the holidays; ask for the red bow…that might be all you get.

 
About the Net Promoter Score (NPS): Respondents were asked to rate, on a scale from 0 (Not at all likely) to 10 (Extremely likely), the probability they would recommend the make/model of the vehicle they currently drive to a friend or colleague. 10 and 9 responses indicate Promoters, 8 and 7 responses are Passives and 0 through 6 are Detractors. NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.

*Net Promoter, NPS and Net Promoter Score are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, and Fred Reichheld

Generation Gap: Tracking Holiday Sales & Promotions

In case you missed it, the National Retail Federation recently released inaugural data on how shoppers plan to track holiday sales and promotions this season; BIG collected this data as part of our November Consumer Intentions & Actions® survey. Among holiday shoppers in general, it’s traditional forms of media (print ads, TV, even email) that grab the most attention:

Top 5 Media for Tracking Retailers’ Holiday Ads & Promotions (Adults 18+)
1. Advertising Circulars (50.5%)
2. Emails from Retailers (32.3%)
3. TV Advertising (31.7%)
4. Retailers’ Websites (23.7%)
5. Coupon Websites (i.e. RetailMeNot.com, FatWallet.com, etc.) (23.1%)

This data becomes really interesting, though, when we break it out by generation:

Silent (born 1945 or earlier)
Boomers (born 1946 – 1964)
Gen X (born 1965 – 1982)
Gen Y (born 1983 – 1993)

Ad Circulars are relatively less important to Gen Y-ers. (click to enlarge)

Advertising Circulars are the top media among all generations, except for those Gen Y-ers. Among these youngsters, Coupon Websites (35.0%) are the most sought-out, followed by Ad Circulars (33.5%), TV Advertising (33.1%), Facebook (32.3%), and Emails from Retailers (31.4%).

As you may expect, Ad Circulars are the most popular among the Silent generation (56.8%) as well as Boomers (58.1%). These two generations also place Direct Mail in the their top five lists.

The importance of social media grows as generations decrease in age. As previously mentioned, Facebook (32.3%) is a top five ad source among Gen Y; additionally, about one in four (24.7%) Gen X-ers socially engage this site for holiday promotions. Far fewer Silents (3.4%) or Boomers (8.9%) are doing the same.

Gen X and Y are more likely to gravitate to Facebook than their older counterparts. (click to enlarge)

Among the younger generations, blogs are more popular as well. About one in ten of those in Gen X (10.6%) and Gen Y (12.1%) admits to scanning blogs for access to holiday deals, while this method is much less likely to be employed by Boomers or Silents.

It doesn’t appear that holiday shoppers are giving too much attention to Twitter this year. While many may be tweeting about the purchases they make or the deals that they scored, this was among the least popular venues for consumers to find holiday sales and promotions. Just 6.0% of Gen Y-ers rely on Twitter, and this percentage drops precipitously with age.

Blogs prove more popular with younger generations. (click to enlarge)

One of the media newcomers, Group Buying Websites (i.e. Groupon, LivingSocial), is gaining fans with the younger generations. Among both Gen X and Gen Y, about 15% are intrigued by the mega deals offered through these venues. About one in ten Boomers are buying in, while just 5.3% of the Silents are tempted.

Besides the fact that younger generations prove to be more receptive to newer forms of media, this data really tells us that retailers need to know who their customers are in order to reach them in the most effective manner this holiday season…BIGinsight consumer data, anyone?

Couponing Websites - Favored by Gen Y (click to enlarge)

For more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

Source: Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey – NOV-11 (N = 8502, 11/1 – 11/8/11)

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Top Holiday Trends + More

Our latest BIG Call featured a very special guest speaker: Ellen Davis, VP at the National Retail Federation. BIG has been working with the NRF for nearly ten years to bring retailers, marketers, CPGs, and the media the latest insights on the Holiday season, straight from consumers.

For this month’s Call, Ellen highlighted four of her Top Ten Trends for Holiday 2011:

1.       Slow and Steady Wins the Race
While many current consumer sentiments are eerily similar to what we experienced in 2008, retailers and shoppers have been adjusting to the uncertain environment, which is good news. But there’s no doubt that continued consumer uncertainty and high unemployment is putting a damper on spending.

3.       …And?
Today’s consumer has high expectations – they already assume retailers will be offering low prices or strong promotions, and they want to know what they’re going to get on top of that. This “price plus” shopping mentality is all part of the value equation, which incorporates price with other elements like quality, convenience and service.

7.    This Year’s Theme: “Everyday Appropriate”
In 2008 and 2009, both years when holiday sales saw declines from the year before, shoppers were all about practical, necessity gift purchases. This year, there seems to be a little bit of wiggle room on the wish list. 

8.    The Night Owl Catches the Sales on Black Friday
With Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Target opening their doors at midnight Thanksgiving night, you can be sure that more people will be staying up to go shopping rather than setting their alarms to wake up before the sun.

In addition to Ellen’s Holiday insights, we reviewed the latest data from the Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey on Consumer Confidence, Employment Outlook, Practicality in Purchasing, Personal Finance, as well as the 90 Day Outlook.

To listen to the recorded webinar, click here.

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

All is Not So “Merry and Bright” for Charities this Holiday Season

 

…but here comes Santa Claus Gen Y!

In a weak economy, Americans tend to cut back on everything, and unfortunately that includes donating to the less fortunate. This holiday season, our diffusion index for charitable contributions (those who will spend less than last year subtracted from those who will spend more) is negative, at -15%! (Check out the report here) 27.9% of consumers are planning to spend less on charities this year vs. 12.9% who plan to spend more. The majority (59.2%) plans to spend the same as last year (although that could mean zero dollars for some).

Despite the Grinchy economy, there is one group of consumers getting into the giving spirit this year…and quite unexpectedly, it’s Generation Y! Yep, those fresh-out-of-college and struggling to find work 20-somethings plan to spend MORE overall on charitable contributions this holiday season! 23.9% admit they will spend more, 61.2% plan to spend the same, while only 14.8% say they plan to spend less. That gives us an overall diffusion index in the black at 9.1%! Boomers, on the other hand, are cutting back the most – see for yourself!

Perhaps this shouldn’t be such a surprise—some of those in Generation Y live with their family, and most don’t have children yet. Many of them DO have jobs in innovative companies snatching up tech-savvy employees. Whatever their situation, members of Gen Y appear to have a bit of spare change. The top reason these youngsters gave for giving more this year was “Even though times are tough, there are others that need help more than I do,” with over half (55.4%) saying so. Another 40% simply have more to give.

These reasons ring true in my life as well. I am happily employed and do not have children (just a hamster, but he has only a tiny mouth to feed). There aren’t many children in my extended family either, and due to a variety of reasons (most of which involve debt), my extended family just isn’t giving gifts this year to anyone over the age of five. If you check out the report, you will see 15.3% of my Gen Yers are also cutting back on gifts for family and friends.

My immediate family has decided to give practical gifts. Top on my list is a crock pot and a gift card to my local grocery store! So, after saving up for the year and not having anyone to buy for, my family has picked out a few of our favorite charities to donate to. We are trying to get involved in toy drives and collections for local food pantries as well. It just feels like the right thing to do, especially at this time of year. It’s hard to imagine that there are people in my neighborhood that only want shampoo or a blanket for Christmas while so many others around the country are thinking about a new tablet or smartphone.

I realize that I have been blessed in my life, and I want to give back what I can to those who really need it. I may not be able to offer gold or even a pa rum pum pum pum on a drum (I am NOT musically gifted) but I can give someone the gift of warmth or a hot meal or even a roof!

Here at BIG, we want to know what you are doing this holiday season. Let us know if you are cutting back on donations in this rough economy or if you are able to help out others in their time of need. What are some of your favorite charities? Do you get involved in your community or church around the holidays? Are you taking care of yourself and your family first before helping others? We like to hear from you!