Frankly, my dear, the force is with them

Fad films will come and go, but the classics still dominate the top 10, according to a recent study conducted by Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive. In at No. 1 is the Civil War epic, Gone with the Wind. Number two is Star Wars and rounding out the top three is Casablanca. These are the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 2,279 U.S. adults surveyed online.

Another fantasy film comes in at number four, The Lord of the Rings. Next the hills are alive as The Sound of Music is number five on the favorite movie list, and then we’re following the yellow brick road on our way to see The Wizard of Oz. In at number seven is The Notebook, and number eight is Forrest Gump.

Tied for number nine on the list of all-time favorite movies are two that at first blush are very different but are really about the same things: family, honor and action. Inigo Montoya and Michael Corleone attempt to avenge their fathers in The Princess Bride and The Godfather, respectively.

Different groups all have their favorite movies. Men say Star Wars is their favorite movie, followed by Gone with the Wind. Women, however, say Gone with the Wind is their favorite movie followed by The Sound of Music. Echo Boomers (those aged 18-31) and Generation X (those aged 32-43) favor Star Wars first but differ on the second favorite. The youngest age group goes for The Notebook while the Gen Xers cite The Lord of the Rings. Baby Boomers (those aged 44-62) and matures (those aged 63 and older) each cite Gone with the Wind as their favorites. For the second favorite, Baby Boomers go for Casablanca and matures for The Sound of Music. For whites, Gone with the Wind is their favorite movie while blacks cite Casablanca, and Hispanics say their favorite is The Notebook. In this election year, favorite movies seem to be the common ground as Democrats, Republicans and Independents say Gone with the Wind is their favorite.

Customers weigh in on market research suppliers’ service

As the adage goes: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” So how do market research suppliers promising to deliver the in-depth insights into the consumer rate among their own customers for satisfaction? An online survey of market research professionals conducted by MarketResearchCareers.com reveals that among more than 40 leading market research suppliers spanning three categories, Forrester Research, e-Rewards and Decision Analyst have the most-satisfied  customers.

To determine this year’s rankings, the 2008 edition of MarketResearchCareers’ Annual Survey of Market Research Professionals captured the satisfaction level of nearly 450 regular customers of 40+ market research suppliers. Below are the top three firms, ranked by customer satisfaction, within each market research supplier segment:

Syndicated research suppliers

1. Forrester

2. Gartner

3. Nielsen

Online sample providers

1. e-Rewards

2. Survey Sampling International

3. Greenfield Online

Full-service research suppliers

1. Decision Analyst

2. BASES

3. Lieberman

Drinking with the stars: famous names boost wine and spirits sales

Celebrity culture and the U.S. fascination with it may be one of the few things immune to the current economic slowdown, as celebrity wines boasting the names of the well-known and well-loved are up nearly 19 percent in grocery store sales since last year and represent 0.9 percent ($41.8 million) of total wine sales, according to a study conducted by New York researcher The Nielsen Company.

Celebrity-driven alcohol beverage products (those branded with the name of or directly associated with a famous individual) are gaining popularity in the U.S., and wine is emerging as the star of the show. Gaining marketing leverage from celebrities as diverse as film director Francis Ford Coppola, former NFL coach Mike Ditka, professional golfer Greg Norman and recent releases from Martha Stewart and Paul Newman, celebrity wines are all the rage.

“Celebrities are increasingly lending their names to wine and spirits for a variety of reasons,” said Richard Hurst, senior vice president, beverage alcohol, The Nielsen Company. “While some celebrities have had a long-standing personal affinity for these product categories, others view these products as extensions of their established ‘lifestyle brands’ and have connected with willing supplier partners to produce and market them. Ideally, the celebrity’s reputation also helps reinforce the company’s image in the marketplace.”

Celebrity spirits sales show the same growth rate (19 percent) in grocery stores and represent 0.3 percent ($7.5 million) of the total spirits category. In liquor stores, celebrity spirits are growing at an even faster rate, showing a nearly 21 percent increase since last year, compared to celebrity wines’ liquor store growth rate of 8 percent.

Nielsen’s research shows that while promotions such as in-store advertising are driving incremental sales, celebrity wines do not necessarily receive much more retail paparazzi support.

Fifty percent of both celebrity wine and table wine volume is sold on promotion, but when it comes to pricing consumers are paying an average of $8.50 per 750ml bottle of celebrity wine versus $5.75 per bottle of table wine. Most celebrity wines are priced between $12 and $15.

“While a celebrity on the label is not a sure-fire recipe for success, marketers appear to be homing in on the kinds of celebrity products and positioning that make brands stick,” said Hurst.