1998 Summer Issue

Seventy percent of consumers across the country sought information about benefits provided by their health plans during 1997. Sixty-five percent of these consumers looked for information on a particular medication or prescription, 58% investigated the cost of healthcare, 56% sought background information on diseases and 50% researched alternative treatments.

Gender differences are significant in terms of information sought. While 65% of women looked for information about disease, only 45% of men did so. Seventy-two percent of women researched a particular medication prescription, compared to 57% of men. Men appear more interested in information about insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Reaching Kid Consumers

The buying power of kids age 6-11 is now about $8 billion annually. Promising ways for retailers to reach this market are evident in the following statistics:

• More than two in five (41%) 6-11 year-olds have their own television sets; 70% of these sets are in their own rooms.
• Over a quarter (26%) of kids age 6-14 have a magazine subscription in their own name.
• Four million 6-14 year-olds were online in 1997, compared to 1.7 million in 1996. They spend an average of 80 minutes per month on commercial online networks (such as AOL) and 70 minutes per month on the Web.

While vying for kids' attention, marketers need to remember that multi-tasking is the norm. Kids now grow up accustomed to having the TV on while they are online, or have a radio or CD playing in the background.

Recent research shows that the younger generation uses the Internet for a wide variety of things and that it more or less permeates every facet of their lives. Those aged 18-24 typically go online for entertainment and work while middle-aged adults use the Internet mostly for research and staying abreast of the latest news. Senior citizens, one of the fastest growing segments of the online population, use the Internet for improving relationships and finding new hobbies.

For the first time ever, women (51.4%) bought more recorded music than men (48.6%), per the Recording Industry Association of America 1997 Consumer Profile. Total industry sales of $12.2 billion were down a bit from $12.5 billion in 1996.

	Rock		32.5%

	Country		14.4%

	R&B		11.2%

	Rap		10.1%

	Pop		 9.4%

	Gospel		 4.5%

	Classical	 2.8%	 

	Jazz		 2.8%

	Other		12.3% 

A southern city known for its historic charm and grace was exploring ways to attract new businesses to the area. A local nonprofit organization supporting the area's business development efforts discovered that city bashing was popular among residents. Understanding that community friendliness is among the top 10 factors considered by companies evaluating their location options, the city came to STR for help.

STR conducted research that quantified residents' attitudes and gave community officials a strategy for making needed changes. The city's first step toward handling this problem was to recruit local business partners for help; over 60 joined in. Next, officials developed and launched a promotional campaign using billboards, newspapers, television, T-shirts and bumper stickers to remind residents just how great their city is.

The campaign worked. Eighteen months after the initial study, STR conducted a follow-up survey that found 80% of residents heard and recalled the campaign message. Findings also showed these individuals were more positive toward their hometown and were less likely to discuss the negatives. Overall, there was a significant increase (from 32% to 40%) in positive comments by residents.

Solid research showed city officials the extent of the problem and the necessary steps to turn it around. The successful campaign ultimately helped the city remain competitive in attracting new businesses and gave a needed boost to its tourism trade.

• Over a quarter of Americans age 55+ (28%) participate in physical fitness activities. This percentage is higher than for any other age group.
• American children spend 6.3 billion hours a year coloring, each child using about 730 crayons by the age of 10. To meet this demand, parents and schools purchase 2.5 billion crayons each year.
• Forty-two percent of supermarkets now have a "natural foods" section in at least some of their stores, compared with only 9% in 1995. Of these natural foods, organic produce has the highest demand.
• Nearly 30% of Americans have a telephone in their car while driving.
• Eighty percent of everything filed is never referred to again.
• Twenty-seven percent of companies now give employees the opportunity to telecommute (via computer and telephone) to work from home and another 24% of companies are considering offering this.
• Combined retail sales of anti-aging vitamins, supplements and minerals, and cosmeceuticals (cosmetic products that promise real therapeutic benefits) almost quadrupled, from $325 million to $1,275 million between 1993 and 1997. By 2002, this market should reach $36 billion.
• Nine out of 10 Americans say that they pray-98% for their families, 81% for the children of the world and 77% for world peace.
• More than 95% of all people age 12 or older listen to radio each week. The average listener spends over 22 hours per week (over 1,200 hours per year) listening to radio.
• The top thing Americans love to eat while standing in the kitchen is cookies. Leftover pizza comes in a close second.
• Seventy-one percent of households report they have at least one snorer. Forty-five percent of those surveyed admit they snore, 35% said their partner snores, 12% said their child snores and 9% reported their pet snores.
• The average executive wastes a total of five weeks per year trying to locate missing or lost items.
• On average, Americans open their refrigerators 22 times a day.
• In an average lifetime, people spend four years traveling in cars and six months waiting for red light to turn green.
• The average American drank 102 servings of carbonated soft drinks in 1997. This was an increase of 23% from the 1990 count of 83 servings, and a rise in consumption four times that of any other food or beverage item.
• Currently, 20.1 million Internet users (53% of the U.S. Internet population of 38 million) regularly use the Internet as a news source. Online news consumers log on for financial news (32%), newspapers (27%), cable TV (21%) and magazines (10%).
• The average American spends 49 hours of their lifetime seeing doctors and 64 hours waiting to see them.
• Four out of five people sing while in the car.
• The number of international tourists visiting the U.S. reached almost 49 million in 1997. This figure is up 5.9% from 1996. One in three of these tourists is from Canada.
• Sales for the five most common home medical test categories -- blood glucose monitoring, pregnancy and ovulation test, blood pressure monitors, fecal occult blood test and cholesterol test -- more than doubled from 1992 to 1996 to a total of $1.4 billion.
• More than 33% of all mail contains some kind of address error. Only 8.6% of these mistakes are related to a move or address change.
• Only 29% of Americans describe themselves as happy.
• People age 60+ are the heaviest media consumers. Approximately two-thirds of those age 60+ read the newspaper every day (versus 50% of all adults), and over 60% watch three or more hours of TV daily (versus 47% for the population as a whole).
• Older Baby Boomers and retirees (age 45+) spent 31% more time using their home PCs than the Generation X age group (age 18-34) in 1997. On average, computer owners age 45+ used the PC on average 2,148 minutes each month; those age 18-34 spent only 1,643 minutes per month.