The IT List 2012: Other Notable Trends

With a big list of 145 personalities, trends, and current events vying for a position in our Top Ten Hottest Trends for 2012, we thought we’d take a look at some of the other noteworthy findings from the past year:

Golden Girl: The top personality on our list of 145 was one of my four favorite Golden Girls, Betty White (May-12, #18). The nifty nonagenarian bested other celebs – and royals – including mom-to-be Kate Middleton (Dec-12, #31), late-blooming action star Liam Neeson (Oct-12, #40), The Avengers’ Scarlett Johansson (May-12, #44), and Las Vegas favorite Prince Harry (Sept-12, #64).

Making History: The past proves not-so-boring when paired with additive stories from the likes of Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and Hatfields & McCoys, with the History Channel (Jun-12, #12) finishing just shy of the top ten. It appears that portraying “Devil Anse” Hatfield was a boon to Kevin Costner’s stock with consumers; the veteran actor (Jun-12, #65) landed six spots ahead of Magic Mike’s Channing Tatum (Jul-12, #71) #whatistheworldcomingto?

Big at the Box Office: Among last year’s blockbusters, The Amazing Spider-Man (Jul-12, #17) seemed to be the most highly anticipated, though The Dark Knight Rises (Jul-12, #23) and Marvel’s The Avengers (May-12, #26) weren’t too far behind. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec-12, #32), Prometheus (Jun-12, #37), Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (Nov-12, #51), The Hunger Games (Mar-12, #56), Total Recall (Aug-12, #58), and Skyfall (Nov-12, #59) landed a bit lower on the list.

Fashion Trends to Try: By their very nature of not appealing to most of the male portion of the population, fashion trends tend to fall a bit lower on our list, but here are the top trends consumers were willing to try in 2012: 1. Ankle Boots (Oct-12, #61), 2. Skinny Jeans (Oct-12, #76), 3. High-Low Skirts/Dresses (Aug-12, #80), 4. Jean Jackets (May-12, #82), 5. Colored Denim (Aug-12, #83). Trends to avoid? Hip-enhancing Peplum Tops (Sept-12, #144) and Elmer Fudd-like Trapper Hats (Jan-12, #143).

Not-So-Honorable Mention: At #145 on our list this year, Man Candles (Jun-12) wins the prize as the unhottest (coldest?) trend for 2012. So, it’s confirmed: guys prefer the smell of fresh cookies over mowed grass, lumber, and other icky boy stuff. #noththattheresanythingwrongwiththat

See also: The IT List: Hottest Trends for 2011

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2013, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development

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Hot Trends for December: Not a Creature Was Stirring, Except for a Mouse…

Do you hear what I hear? That wasn’t eight tiny reindeer up on the housetop recently, but the soft sounds of mouse clicks bringing joy to all of those good little girls and boys, as holiday shopping online topped out “Hot or Not?” segment for December.

Those who love the annual Christmas tradition of fighting for a parking space, scouring the [sale] racks for perfect gifts, and braving the long checkout lines, however, kept holiday shopping in stores alive at #2 in our heat spectrum this month. Buoyed by a large proportion of celebrants under 35, New Year’s Eve Parties clocked in at #3.

And perhaps one of the stories we’ll hear most about in 2013, mom-to-be Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, bested the results for Princes William and Harry earlier in the fall. She’s certainly shaping up to be the next people’s princess [at least among us Yanks] – particularly among women 35+.

Proof that you can put anything in front of the word “diamond” and find gift-giving success among the female crowd: about two in five women gave brown/chocolate diamonds two thumbs up. Ditto for cashmere. And rounding out fashion, while ugly christmas sweaters registered pretty cool on our heat-o-meter this month, those under 35 found the humor in this new holiday tradition.

Finally, while it appears that consumers certainly intend to celebrate as the ball drops for 2013, don’t expect them to be rockin’ with Ryan Seacrest.

For more on what we found “Hot or Not?” for the month of December, plus other consumer highlights, check out this month’s video briefing:

Happy New Year!

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2012, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development

Hot Trends for November: Giving Thanks for Black Friday Deals

After record turnouts for Black Friday weekend, one might think that scoring holiday deals topped our “Hot or Not?” segment for November. However, it appears that the constant commercialism in our lives has yet to override a few of finer things we enjoy as Americans: Turkey Day and the right to vote. [Thanks for that lesson, Charlie Brown.]

Black Friday and its online equivalent, Cyber Monday, did squeak past some of the season’s “must-have” electronics: the Apple iPad Mini and Nintendo Wii U.

The gender split two of November’s biggest box office draws left the overall vote at a near tie: females were in full support of the final Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn, Part 2, while boys of all ages backed the newest James Bond feature, Skyfall.

And, despite landing on this holiday’s Top Ten Toy lists for both girls and boys, it appears that Adults 18+ aren’t all that excited about the revamped Furby. But that decision’s ultimately left up to Santa, right?

For more on what we found “Hot or Not?” for the month of November, plus other consumer highlights, check out this month’s video briefing:

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2012, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Hot Trends for October: Halloween, Kindle Fire HD…and Honey Boo Boo?

With the calendar flipping over to November and the holiday season right around the corner, let’s put official closure on October with a look at our “Hot or Not?” segment from our latest monthly survey.

While the holiday itself was a bit of a bust (#thanksSandy), the record number of consumers planning to celebrate this year BOOsted Halloween to the top of our list for October. The new Kindle Fire HD tablet followed closely behind [note: the Apple iPad Mini is currently up at bat in our November survey]. And while both operating systems scored well with consumers, Google’s Android platform eked out a victory over Apple iOS:

Now trending on Forbes.com: The Aging Of Apple? Google Android Voted Coolest Kid On The Playground

Consumers also still seem pretty Taken with Liam Neeson, and The New Normal is looking pretty cool compared to hot competitor Modern Family. Ankle boots and skinny jeans look like they’ll make a trendy transition from fall to winter this year, particularly among women 18-34.

Finally, in what may have renewed my hope in the morality of U.S. consumers: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was voted little Miss “Not” Hot for October.

For more on what we found “Hot or Not?” for the month of October, plus other consumer highlights, check out this month’s video briefing:

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2012, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Hot Trends for September: Election, NFL, Fall Fashion

The “Hot or Not?” segment in our September survey was full of current events, personalities, and [my favorite] fall fashion trends. But what trumped the royal family, fantasy football, and peplum tops?

The 2012 Presidential Election.

I guess, though, it would be a little disturbing if the 9,000+ consumers who completed this month’s survey were more excited about the next generation Wii U than the race to the White House. #priorities

Fall’s arrival also has consumers gearing up for the 2012 NFL season as well as fantasy football leagues. And, despite its recent political controversy, Chick-fil-A is still a winner with fast foodies:

In other news, it appears that Prince Harry’s recent antics in Las Vegas only served to endear him further with Americans at large. The royal, now serving in Afghanistan, bested big bro Prince William in our poll this month. Lance Armstrong – with his own “Did he? / Didn’t he?” doping drama – found himself in an unfamiliar position toward the end of the pack this month.

With half the population – i.e. men – finding little to get excited about here, fashion trends typically find themselves in “ice cold” territory. However, it does look like ladies’ best bets for fall are entrenched in the more preppy territory with hunter green and blazers topping vegan leather and peplum tops.

I’m grateful, though, that women under 35 are more psyched about the faux leather movement: while my husband recently gave my leather-like coated denim a big thumbs down [the term “80s groupie” was used], this is a trend I’m planning to stick with…anything to keep you young, right?

For more on what we found “Hot or Not?” for the month of September, plus other consumer highlights, check out this month’s video briefing:

Source: BIGinsight.com

© 2012, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

2011 in Review: The “In” Crowd

While our previous post confirmed that Betty White was the most famous face of the year, we thought it’d be fun to dive a little deeper into the data to find out – among the 35 celebrities and personalities we asked about this year – who lands at the top of the “In” Crowd list for 2011.

This all is, of course, according to the What’s Hot/What’s Not section of our monthly Consumer Intentions & Actions® survey¹. Each month, more than 8,000 respondents have the opportunity 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.

Let’s first cover 2011’s Top 5, and then we’ll attempt to answer some burning questions about some of the most talked about people of the year.

The “In” Crowd List

“Girl Power” could be the theme for 2011’s hottest celebrities. The incomparable Betty White leads the ladies-only Top 5 list, while two singing sirens and a pair of America’s sweethearts follow:

1. Betty White (Feb-11)²: Please…who doesn’t love Betty?
2. Jennifer Lopez (May-11): The American Idol beauty has been around the block, but she seems to be all the better off for it…diva-in-training Lady Gaga (Mar-11) peaked at #10 this year.
3. Beyoncé (Jul-11): Even pre-baby bump, Beyoncé was a hit…but that seems to come with the territory when you are recognized by a one-name moniker.
4. Reese Witherspoon (Apr-11): While respondents weren’t quite so receptive to Water for Elephants, they still really responded to Reese. Girl also got hitched this year…and who doesn’t love a happily ever after?
5. Anne Hathaway (Mar-11): Recall that Anne was the more successful of the OSCAR® hosts this year. (Co-host James Franco (Mar-11) landed at #27 on this list, out of the 35 contenders).

Q&A

While these aren’t necessarily questions from our readers, we thought we’d give a little insight on a few other famous faces turned trending topics in 2011…

Q: When it comes to Pippa Middleton and Kim Kardashian, who has the best…um…well…you know?
A: Pippa (#14, Jun-11), who nearly stole the show at the Royal Wedding, is the fanny favorite over Kim K. (#16, Aug-11). Interestingly, the post-“wedding” Kardashian family isn’t fairing so well with consumers (#30, Dec-11).

Q: Aren’t there any guys on this list?
A: Two and A Half Men newbie [and pre-split-from-Demi] Ashton Kutcher (Sept-11) was the highest ranking male on the “In” Crowd list at #7. But he faced some tough competition from the Muppets (#6, Nov-11), and Alvin & the Chipmunks (Dec-11) were HOT on his tail.

Q: Where’s the Biebs? I love him. [OK, I added that last bit for dramatic comic effect.]
A: Justin Bieber (Dec-11) was actually the next highest ranking male to make it in the “In” Crowd this year (at #13). The Boy with the Amazing Hair [the sarcasm should be palpable now] bested several of Hollywood’s hottest hunks: Ryan Reynolds (#18, Jun-11), Matt Damon (#19, Jan-11), Tom Cruise (#25, Dec-11), Bradley Cooper (#26, May-11), and Ryan Gosling (#28, Nov-11…please see Crazy, Stupid, Love. for my rebuttal on his low ranking).

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.

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.

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

Trend Spy: November

Each month, we ask respondents in our Consumer Intentions & Actions® survey if latest trends, newest gadgets, and even “it” personalities are Hot or Not. The Hot or Not List is generally comprised of input from our respondents, gathered in the previous month’s CIA® survey.

We publish the overall results in the monthly Executive Briefing (see the November results here). In a nutshell, adults in general voted Giving Thanks, Black Friday, Tablet Devices, and Cyber Monday as the hottest trends for November, respectively.

But what’s hot is really dependent on age and gender, doesn’t it? What a teenager believes to be totes cool might not be the bee’s knees to a grandparent. (For the record, if you had to look up “bee’s knees” or “totes,” you probably have a completely different view of what’s hot or not).

This month, though, let’s Trend Spy on younger adults. Some of our findings were quite surprising when we compared data for younger men (aged 18 to 34) to younger women (also 18 to 34). For instance, who would’ve thought that young men would say that Black Friday was hotter than Tablet Devices? Eight out of ten (80.1%) cool dudes voted one of biggest shopping days of the year as hot, compared to 67.3% for Tablets. Guys for Black Friday even outnumbered the young ladies (75.0%). Perhaps retailers are missing the boat a hot demographic here…

Besides Black Friday and Tablets, younger men also named Giving Thanks (65.9%), Cyber Monday (58.9%), and Occupy Wall Street (45.6%) in their top five. In contrast, the hottest item for young women was Giving Thanks at 82.5%…so these ladies are 25% more likely to vote for Giving Thanks than their male counterparts, who are busy giving thanks for Black Friday. Three out of four (75.0%) women 18 to 34 also voted Black Friday as hot, followed by Tablet Devices (69.1%), Cyber Monday (56.9%), and [swoon] Twilight: Breaking Dawn (52.1%).

P.S. For more on Black Friday, stay tuned for our upcoming BIG on the Street post, where we’re planning to bring you highlights from our Black Friday excursion. With 152 million people planning to shop this weekend, it should be interesting.

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.