Manufacturers Market to Larger Americans
Manufacturers are enlarging their products to accommodate America’s overweight consumers. This trend is seen in the new seats for domestic cars and trucks, elastic waistbands for women’s clothing makers – from Liz Claiborne to Kmart – and the rising demand for more king- and queen-size beds.

Diet centers and health clubs expected this group of adults to demand more of their services. But this hasn’t happened. In fact, Americans are actually eating more rich foods: sales of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream, Pepperidge Farms cookies and Godiva chocolates are on the rise.

Tasks Over the Internet
Almost half of Americans use the Internet. Thirty-six percent access it at home; 26% at work. The chart below shows what activities they are interested in accomplishing electronically via their computer or television.

Self-Care Industry Growing
Self-care is growing as the population ages and, as a result, incurs chronic health conditions. Another driving factor is that many of the previously prescription-only drugs and diagnostic tests are now sold over the counter—allowing people to diagnose and treat their condition without seeing a doctor.

A recent report indicates that between January 1998 and January 1999, almost one-third of shoppers (31%) are more likely to treat themselves before going to the doctor for minor health complaints. Over half (51%) are moderately or highly involved in trying to maintain their health and actively seek information about diet, nutrition and disease prevention.

 

Self-Care Products Used to Maintain Health		Total Shoppers
Over-the-counter medications		85%
Prescription drugs		71%
Vitamins/minerals		67%
Herbal remedies		28%
Homeopathic remedies		15%
Aromatherapy products		13%
In-home diagnostic tests		9%

Media As a Major Source of Health Information
Americans are a bit more likely to get information about health from the television (39%) than they are from a doctor or other health care professional (37%). More than half (54%) of adults—approximately 98 million people—say they have changed a health behavior such as diet or eating habits because of a story in the media.

Although 53% say health stories in the media give them a better understanding, 29% say the stories make them more uncertain about what to do regarding various conditions. More than one third (35%) have spoken with a doctor about a medical condition of interest covered in the media.

Baby Boomers Bring the World Home
Globalization will affect every part of our lives in 1999 and on into the 21st century according to trend experts. Much of this is brought about by the rising affluence of aging Baby Boomers who are doing more traveling. This smaller world translates into increased demand for more ethnic foods such as Morrocan and Indian, and ethnic influences in home fashion designs. The trend also extends outdoors where American gardens are expected to sprout more French lettuce mixes and Japanese daikon radishes. 

• Management's recognition of the importance of personal and family life
• Direction that the organization is heading
• Opportunities for personal growth while on the job
• Daily satisfaction employees receive from their work
• Management's encouragement for employees to challenge how things are done

Alternative Medicine Market Expands
Forty percent of people age 18 or older have used some form of alternative medicine in the past 12 months, according to a 1998 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is up from 34% in a similar study conducted in 1991.

Chronic pain is the primary reason people turn to alternative medicine. Others include anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, sprains and muscle strains, addictive problems, arthritis, headaches, depression, digestive problems and diabetes. 

Major Challenges Faced by Today's Mother
Today’s mom with children age 0 to 12, regardless of whether she works outside the home, feels she is more involved with her children than her own mother was. About 85% are very involved in their children’s activities while only 44% remember their own mothers doing so. See the table below for the top five challenges these moms face today.

Major Challenges Faced by Mothers

Consumers Concerned About Y2K
Two-thirds of consumers are familiar with the Y2K problem. One in seven of these is very concerned; 15% have no serious concerns. The chart below details Americans’ top worries about what could go wrong at the end of the year.

 

Potential Y2K Problem		People Concerned
Personal records accessed by unauthorized  persons		52%
Economy seriously impacted		47%
Severe stock market decline		35%
Collapse of foreign markets		29%

Tort Trials: Who, When and How Much
Only 3% of tort cases in the federal court system ever become jury or bench trials. The plaintiff wins less than one-half (45%) of the time. The median of awards given in these trials is $141,000; 10% of cases have awards of $1 million or more, the bulk of which are greater than $10 million (8%).

Almost all (93%) federal tort trials involve personal injury issues. The plaintiffs are most likely to win cases involving federal employer's liability and are least likely to win cases that involve motor vehicle product liability.

Most (74%) federal tort trials are concluded within two years of filing. Personal injury torts involving maritime product liability last the longest (mean of 29.1 months); personal injury torts involving asbestos product liability are resolved the quickest (mean of 14.3 months).

What Makes People Happy?
Over the last 40 years, real per capita income more than doubled. However, research by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center shows that fewer people are happy now (30%) than they were back then (35%). Looks like money does not buy happiness. So what is it that makes people happy? Several separate studies show that the four main attributes characterizing happy people include: having positive self-esteem, feeling in control of one’s life, having an optimistic outlook on life, and being an extrovert.

CASE STUDY: Healthcare Advertising
A local medical facility set out to motivate people into abandoning their present healthcare insurance plans with the goal of attracting those potential patients into their outpatient services clinic for their healthcare needs. The facility’s advertising agency brought Saurage-Thibodeaux Research (STR) in to explore strategy options to reaching this goal.

After reviewing the issues, STR conducted in-depth telephone surveys to collect information from the facility’s former, current and potential patients. The data revealed a wide range of factors that motivate people to seek medical advice outside of their insurance plan. The agency used these findings to create a highly successful television advertising campaign—one that yielded dramatic results and, mostly importantly, a significantly increased patient flow at the facility.

Bullets

• Over half (52%) of households pay more attention to advertisements featuring people with disabilities than to those without.
• Blue is predicted to be the next hot color for clothes, cars and other consumer goods. Shades of blue in demand will be a watercolor blue, ocean blue and bright tropical blue.
• Sponsorship/event marketing expenditures have increased 613% over the past 16 years. Advertising and sales promotions have increased only 103% and 127%, respectively. Today, there are over 40,000 events available for sponsorship.
• Two-thirds of mutual funds investors cannot name even one company in which their mutual funds are invested.
• Even though 66% of Americans now take vitamins and other supplements on a regular basis (45% take them daily), concern for the healthfulness of the food they eat is at its lowest point this decade.
• About 29% of American consumers enter sweepstakes; 11% of consumers buy products via sweepstakes offers.
• Over one-third of employees (35%) who choose to work reduced hours are promoted according to a study from Purdue and McGill Universities. The most important element in transitioning to reduced hours is having a supportive boss.
• According to the Peanut Advisory Board, Americans eat 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon.
• Women who live in partnerships with men without being married typically earn more than single or married women. Men who cohabit usually earn less than men who are married.
• Most pet owners (78%) spend more than an hour of quality time with their pets daily and the majority (56%) spend two hours or more.
• Sixty-eight percent of American adults say technology has made banking easier. About 65% say that using a machine is quicker than counter service and 68% feel safe using ATMs. However, only 27% say they prefer using a machine to getting personal service.
• More Americans took an active role in politics in 1998 than in 1996. Sixteen percent contributed money to candidates (versus 13% in 1996) and 8% volunteered time to a political candidate (up from 6% in 1996).
• The median age of cars on the road is at a record high of 8.1 years, up from 6.5 years in 1990.
• Americans have to work almost six months to purchase a new vehicle with the quality, reliability and comfort options they desire. The average price for a new vehicle is $20,600 in 1998. This is up from $3,542 which constituted a little over 4 months salary in 1970. Consumer demand for high-tech options are to blame for much of this increase. About 15% of the technological changes are due to government-mandated emissions or safety standards.
• There is a renewed sense of spirituality in America and people are eager to acknowledge their interest or belief in religion. A recent 1998 study shows that seventy percent of people talk openly about their religious faith in the workplace.
• From 1986 to 1996, the number of African Americans under age 35 enrolled in college in jumped almost 40% to 1.5 million.
• Men comprise one-sixth of America's 11.9 million single parents. This number is up 25% to 2.1 million in 1998, from 1.7 million in 1995. The number of single mothers remained constant during this time at 9.8 million.
• Eighty percent of all wine sold is drunk at home.
• Over two-thirds of homes subscribe to cable television.
• As the average size of American families has shrunk, homes have grown one-third larger (since 1970) according the federal Census Bureau.
• Researchers at the University of Michigan report that the amount of time first-, second- and third-graders spent on homework per week rose from 44 minutes to 2 hours between 1981 and 1997.
• Almost half (45%) of cat owners are also dog owners but only 30% of dog owners are also cat owners. Dog owners are slightly more likely than cat owners to have children.
• About one quarter (25.5%) of lawyers are women. This figure has remained stable for the past 5 years.
• One-third of Americans (33%)45% of women and 16% of men read romance novels.
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