Data + Privacy

Certain experiences transform the outlook of an entire generation. For today’s 13- to 18-year-olds, the events of 9/11 had that effect. Seemingly overnight the world changed from one filled with the optimism and endless possibility of the Internet boom to a dark and anxious place threatened by global war and international terror. These dramatic changes could only logically result in equally important shifts in global teen culture.

According to Pepper Miller and Herb Kemp, the authors of “What’s Black About It?”, “Civil rights activists and educators are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the commercial exploitation of the month, originally intended to honor the history of black achievement in America. African-Americans are becoming more aware of the ulterior motives of some of the promotions that center on Black History Month.”

Wake up and smell the café: There are 41.3 million U.S. Hispanics, and if you’re not trying to reach them, you’re missing out on a huge market segment.

Many phenomena can drive companies to develop global or country/regionally localized Websites. Your CEO reads an article about huge opportunities in China and adds “going global” to his list of top three goals for 2006. A rival firm creates German and Spanish commerce sites to sell its wares. National regulations mandate that you localize your products or lose the right to sell in Europe.

Greg Livingston, Tim Coffey, and Dave Siegel are the authors of “Marketing to the New Super Consumer: Mom & Kid.” Here are some observations from the authors’ countless hours of work on and review of kid commercials. They call it the “Ten Commandments for Effective Ads for Kids.”

A recent nationwide online survey conducted by GayTrendsetters.com has found that despite Ford Motor Co.’s recent reversal in its marketing stance toward the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) community, the damage has been done.

Given the composition of our population, there is no need to choose between the youth market and the older consumer. In fact, to be successful you have to have them both–and you can, by focusing less on the differences between old and young, and more on the similar benefits both groups expect from your product. This is the first and most difficult step toward mastering the art of ageless marketing.

Companies that support their gay and lesbian employees with health benefits comparable to those of their straight workers may reap greater brand loyalty, a new survey indicates.

The rich really are different from the mass market–and companies had better treat them that way. That’s what Milton Pedraza, CEO of the New York-based Luxury Institute, says in introducing a set of metrics designed to measure how high-end customers feel about their experiences with the Louis Vuittons and Neiman-Marcuses of the world.

The Consumer Intelligence Master File, a cooperative database operated by Datagence will be enhanced with lifestyle data from Equifax. The new data along