Posted by Elena del Valle on December 16, 2011
Emanuel Andren’s Monte Enebro chocolate
Photo: Emanuel Andren, Mars, Elizabeth Arden, Edward Marc Chocolatier
More consumers (13 percent) regard cell phones as appropriate gifts for children ages 6 to 11, up from 4 percent earlier this year. About one in three (32 percent) shoppers expect stores to offer boxes although at the same time 21 percent of survey takers said they don’t bother with wrapping paper relying instead on gift bags. More than 20 percent prefer to browse the stores then shop online to save money. A similar number say they plan to reduce the number of people they gift. These estimates are based on the 25 Stocking Stuffers from Mintel, Holiday Shopping U.S. July 2011 and Seasonal Chocolate U.S. August 2011 Mintel survey reports.
On the positive front, 27 percent of survey respondents said that when they shop for the holidays, they often buy something for themselves. Christmas decorations and cards remain popular; 42 percent of survey takers said they bought Christmas decorations in the past year while 64 percent bought a Christmas card and 67 percent received one in the past year. Even pets were involved; 11 percent of respondents said pets sent a card or gift.
White Diamonds Elizabeth Taylor Holiday Gift Set, for those who wish to wear or gift the top selling celebrity fragrance
Many (29 percent) of domestic consumers said they bought someone a fragrance and 28 percent bought candles for Christmas. That’s not surprising since winter holidays have been the high season for fragrance sales in past years, according to Mintel.
Celebrity endorsed fragrances are among the most popular, according to a Forbes.com April 2011 article (Top-Selling Celebrity Perfumes by Dorothy Pomerantz). Elizabeth Arden sold $54 million worth of White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor in the United States last year. The perfume, according to the article, has been a favorite of the public since it was launched in 1991. Other notables peddling fragrances with success, includes Derek Jeter (Driven), Beyoncé (Heat), P. Diddy’s Sean John (Unforgivable), Sarah Jessica Parker (NYC), Jessica Simpson (Fancy) and Gwen Stefani (Harajuku Lovers).
MMs packaging for 2011 end of year holidays
Entertaining, vacations, cooking, chocolates and alcoholic beverages during the holidays remain popular; 18 percent of Mintel survey respondents said they “absolutely have to entertain guests for the holidays.” Almost one of every four Americans said they take time off for the end of year holidays, making Christmas like holidays the second most popular family vacation.
Absolut Miami, a passion fruit and orange blossom flavored vodka, was launched in time for the holidays
Winter holidays motivate 58 percent of Americans to cook gourmet or elaborate meals requiring three or more hours to prepare. Americans are most likely to buy alcoholic beverages for New Year’s Eve (37 percent) and Christmas (28 percent), according to survey responses.
In the last year, 61 percent of survey takers bought chocolate in seasonal packaging. Blacks and Hispanics, the two largest emerging markets, have the highest average spending on seasonal candy of any race or ethnicity. This may explain why “Christmas chocolate” sales are forecast to peak in 2011, surpassing $400 million in sales, an increase of 42 percent, according to Mintel researchers.
Chocolate sellers offer special products for the season. For example, Swedish gourmet chocolate maker Emanuel Andren announced a line of 2011 holiday gift guide specials including the Passion and Glamour chocolate collection. The collection retails at $69 (regular price $98) for a four four piece box and $230 (regular price $328) for the 16 piece box between November 1 to December 31, 2011. Made in Sweden, these chocolates are all individually handmade by Emanuel Andren himself, according to a press release.
“We have seen the demand grow for chocolates more than ever before. Right now instead of buying big luxury items people are able to spend a reasonable amount on chocolate and have a beautiful gift. We say that our chocolates are an affordable luxury,” said Chris Edwards, chief marketing and development officer, Edward Marc Chocolatier, a Pennsylvania based chocolate seller with brick and mortar and online shops.
Edward Marc Chocolatier Vanilla Salt Caramel
Edward Marc seasonal items such as Holiday Pops, Chocolate Santas and Pretzel Bites (broken pretzels pieces covered in milk, dark, white and peanut butter) are very popular in the company’s retails stores while the most popular gift item is the Tower of Sweets which includes Vanilla Salt Caramel or Pecan Caramel Terrapins, also the most popular year round. Most sales are in the retail stores, three in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 14, 2011
Thalia at SiriusXM Studio November 1, 2011 in New York City
Photos: SiriusXM, WGBH Radio, Vesper Public Relations
This holiday season classical music and Latino holiday music fans may enjoy the radio selections of Frank Dominguez on Feliz Navidad from Concierto. The host and producer recorded eight hours of bilingual classical music targeting a public radio audience and educated audiences of Latino origin who he believes are the fastest growing arts audience, and the most under served.
Feliz Navidad from Concierto will air on WGBH Radio Classical New England at 99.5 on the radio dial and online on Friday December 23 between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. According to promotional materials, during the pre-recorded program Dominguez shares traditional Spanish language holiday villancicios and sacred works by Joaquin Rodrigo, as well as traditional international carols and Christmas songs performed by Placido Domingo and pianist Gabriela Montero.
Feliz Ano Nuevo with Concierto! is scheduled to air the following Friday at the same time. During that program, Dominguez explores the New Year’s tradition with a Spanish language orientation, sharing with the audience traditional Mexican waltzes played by Cuarteto Latinoamerican, and Viennese Waltzes conducted by Argentina natives Daniel Barendoim and Carlos Kleiber.
Frank Dominguez, host, Concierto
Based at WDAV in North Carolina, Dominguez, host of Concierto, has also directed and hosted live concert broadcasts by the Charlotte Symphony, Opera Carolina, Charlotte Chamber Music, the Spoleto Festival USA and the Brevard Music Center. In addition, he has worked extensively in local theater as an actor and director, including productions for Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, CAST, Theatre Charlotte and Opera Carolina.
Los Tigres del Norte
Between December 2, 2011 and January 6, 2012 SiriusXM Navidad will be available on channel 501 to subscribers of the satellite music service. Music from Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Thalia, José Feliciano, Aventura, Marco Antonio Solís y Christina Aguilera is planned.
Charlie Zaa, guest DJ, SiriusXM
Guest DJs include Romeo Santos, Charlie Zaa, Thalía and Los Tigres Del Norte. Some of the songs scheduled to air are El Año Viejo, Llegó La Navidad, La Parranda, Rodolfo El Reno De La Nariz Roja, La Temporada es Buena, Feliz Navidad, Aires de Navidad, Navidad Sin Ti, No Hay Cama Pa’ Tanta Gente y El Burrito Sabanero. Navidad is available on Edge and Limited Engagements 3 by SiriusXM Internet Radio channel 813.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 12, 2011
Photos: YouTube, Hulu, Vevo
In October, 184 million people in the United States spent an average of 21.1 hours per person watching 42.6 billion videos online, the highest number to date, according to comScore Video Metrix data released November 28, 2011.
The top place went to Google Sites and YouTube.com with 161 million unique viewers spending about 7.1 hours per view and 20.9 billion videos viewed. On YouTube, in general, 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute resulting in almost eight years worth of content uploaded daily by 800 million monthly visitors 18 to 54 years old.
YouTube visitors watch three billion videos a day. These estimates are so large because YouTube is available is available in 25 countries and 43 languages and 70 percent of the site’s traffic originates outside the United States.
On a broad scale, YouTube is monetizing 3 billion video views per week globally. According to the company website, 98 of AdAge’s Top 100 advertisers have run campaigns on YouTube and the Google Display Network and the number of advertisers purchasing display ads increased 10 fold in the last year.
Next on the comScore list was Facebook.com with 59.8 million viewers, Vevo with 57 million, Microsoft Sites with 49.1 million and Viacom Digital with 48.2 million.
With videos came video ads. Some 7.5 billion video ads were displayed in October. Hulu generated the highest number of video ad impressions, 1.3 billion. Tremor Video, with more than 1 billion, was second for the first time. Next in descending order were BrightRoll Video Network (756 million), Specific Media (512 million) and CBS Interactive (415 million).
ComScore staff estimate video ads reached 53 percent of the U.S. population an average of 47 times during the month and that viewers spent 3.2 billion minutes watching video ads in October. Tremor Video ads reached the top spot with 614 million minutes. Hulu delivered the highest frequency of video ads to its viewers with an average of 46.5.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 9, 2011
Pinched book cover
Photos:
During the Great Recession of 2009 the economy shrank 4 percent, more than 8 million Americans became unemployed, home values dropped about 30 percent on average, the Dow was roughed up and 165 banks failed just to name some highlights.
Don Peck, features editor at The Atlantic, believes this most recent recession and the technological changes that preceded it will have a lasting impact on our country, specifically on the way we live, our work, and our family ties. Although some businesses and individuals are adapting overall Americans have been unable to adapt; this inflexibility has led to economic weakness and a social divide, according to the writer.
In Pinched How the Great Recession has narrowed our futures and what we can do about it (Crown Publishers, $22), a 223-page hardcover book published this year, he explains his theories and proposes solutions. He is optimistic in the country’s ability to overcome this historically difficult period thanks to its capacity for adaptability and reinvention, he says in the Introduction.
Don Peck, author, Pinched
The writer, a resident of Washington, D.C. who covers the economy and American society, is of the opinion that there is a divide between rich non rich Americans that affects the views and impact of the wealthiest in society; that power urban areas are overcoming the worst of the recession while suburbs and other areas favored by the middle class are falling behind; that because many working class men have lost their jobs women are the new economic leaders of the household; and that the earning power of Millenials is decreasing, affecting that generation’s views and confidence.
“Amid the strains and fissiparous forces of a new, global era, can we still find ways to mix and balance liberty with justice, self-interest with cooperation?” he asks in the final chapter; and closes with the idea that to remain a united country Americans must find a way to do just that.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on December 7, 2011
Cats were the second most popular pet
Photos: HispanicMPR
Although the percent of households with children (45 percent in 2010) across the country is leveling off and this trend is unlikely to change given the economic situation, homes with children are more likely to have a pet than childless households, according to America’s Pet Owners U.S. September 2011, a Mintel report.
At the same time, some people are acquiring pets in lieu of having children perhaps due to the high cost of child rearing. More than half (54 percent) of respondents to a 2011 online survey of 1,250 pet owners aged 21-30 by Flexcin International said they preferred to have dogs instead of children.
Who owns pets and what kind of pets do they own? Young adults, 18 to 24 years of age, are the most likely to own pets, according to the Mintel survey responses. They may be in search of companionship if they are living alone and these pet owners, researchers believe, are less likely than older pet owners to be aware of the long-term consequences of having a pet. The most common pets were cats, dogs, fish, birds, guinea pig, hamster, ferret, rabbit, snakes and rodents in that order.
Black respondents to the Mintel survey were less likely to own dogs or cats than Hispanics and whites; as residents of densely populated urban areas blacks had less space for pets, according to the Mintel analysis. Many of the Hispanic respondents indicated they lived in a home with a large number of members where space was also limited; this group had a higher ownership of fish and birds than non Hispanics.
Tasha, a chow chow, and her puppies
Mintel researchers believe that since many whites live in suburban or rural areas with ample space to accommodate dogs and cats this group owns cats and dogs in greater numbers than other ethnic and racial groups.
Hispanic respondents to the survey seemed to be most interested in pet friendly accommodations. Black respondents to the survey appeared to be the most likely to hire dog nail trimming, grooming/washing, and teeth cleaning services. At the same time, Hispanic dog owners who participated in the study said they enjoy the fun side of dog ownership, although they appeared less likely to pay close attention to their dog’s health or be willing to make personal sacrifices for their dog.
“Our hispanic (Hispanic) market is very low, only 2%, this is due to the reason that we don’t have this kind of business in our countries, our business is personalized in home pet sitting, so this requierd (required) to owners to give us a key of their house, alarm codes etc. to enter inside the house, hispanic (Hispanic) costumers call us ‘are you crazy? i’m not giving you the key of my house!'” said Oswaldo Cuadros, owner, Pet Sitting at Weston. ” Again hispanic (Hispanic) costumers needs to learn the benefit of professional pet sitters.”
More whites, often living in larger homes, said they have large and extra-large dogs than other groups. Hispanic survey respondents said they favor toy and small dogs. According to a 2009 Mintel survey, 11 percent of Latinos (compared to 6 percent of non Hispanic households with dogs) who own dogs have Chihuahuas (Mintel’s America’s Pet Owners U.S. November 2009).
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 5, 2011
A cup of Starbucks coffee
Photo: Starbucks
Many coffee drinkers prefer to buy coffee from Starbucks, according to a November 15, 2011 poll among 1,170 voters. Hispanic respondents to the survey by Poll Position, were almost evenly divided between Starbucks (34.6 percent) and McDonald’s (34.7 percent); while 29.7 percent of whites and 27.6 of blacks preferred Starbucks. Among women 34.2 percent preferred Starbucks compared to 25.7 percent of men.
The question respondents answered was: “Among Caribou Coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Starbucks or some other place that sells coffee, which is your favorite retail outlet for coffee?”
Starbucks was most popular among those aged 30 to 44 (37.9 percent) and 18 to 29 (35 percent) while respondents 65 and older (26.7 percent) preferred McDonald’s. There was little difference between political party affiliations: 30.9 percent of Independents, 30.8 percent of Democrats and 28.6 percent of Republicans demonstrating a preference for Starbucks.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 2, 2011
Buying and Owning a Mac book cover
Photos: Jonathan Zschau
A couple of years ago Jonathan Zschau, a Mac lover and Boston-based attorney, had problems with his Mac. After going back and forth with Apple and preparing thoroughly to protect his rights as a consumer, he discovered the technology company was willing to replace his Mac with a new model since his original model was no longer available.
Over time he wrote down his thoughts for interacting successfully with Apple and eventually there were so many pages he decided to gather them into Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You To Know (Jonathan Zschau and Cultomedia, $9.99) a 77-page softcover book published this year.
“For me, personally, the biggest challenge was writing a book that wouldn’t become obsolete in a week. The topic of Apple Inc. and Macs in general really lends itself to the blogosphere. Cult of Mac (cultofmac.com), obviously, is a great Apple-centric news site, which often posts hundreds of articles a week. Apple news changes fast and writing something that the average reader would find helpful both today as well as six months from now was a challenge,” the author said by email when asked about the biggest challenge he faced when writing the book.
“It’s easy to post a blog article about a particular defect in a certain line of Macs, but that’s not going to be very helpful to a reader with a defective iPad 3 a year from now. Therefore, I had to put a lot of time explaining my thought process instead of giving dated examples. My book focuses on identifying the proverbial forks in the road — where the reader should consider performing his or her own research over the Internet (i.e. Google searches, etc.) — rather than detailing a list of answers to particular questions about particular Macs. After all, all of that’s already available on the Internet.”
Jonathan Zschau, author, Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You To Know
In the book, he discusses what he believes are the most common issues a Mac owner may face such as tips on when and where to buy a Mac, hardware issues, identifying defects, dealing with customer service, choosing the right Mac, understanding your rights as a consumer, taking advantage of Apple policies, as well as recycling, donating or getting rid of your unit safely. He suggests bargain hunters consider refurbished or clearance items.
“I have assisted friends and family in the selection of refurbished Macs and I do own a refurbished iPod and iPhone. I do recommend considering refurbished Macs when price is significant consideration. All refurbished Macs go through extensive quality control processes and are functionally new machines,” Zschau said via email when asked if he has personally purchased refurbished Macs.
“Apple does offer great deals on refurbished products and these products all come with precisely the same warranty coverage and AppleCare eligibility as new products and, therefore, if something were to break your Mac will be covered in precisely the same way as a new Mac. The only downside is that refurbished Macs are usually not the latest and greatest, they might be last year’s model. If you’re considering a refurbished Mac, you should take some time to research how the refurbished model compares to other versions currently on sale or expected to go on sale soon.”
Since becoming an attorney in 2008, Zschau has practiced litigation, eDiscovery and litigation support, business transactions, corporate governance, and consumer protection law.
Click to buy Buying and Owning a Mac
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