Is history also herstory?
Men and women demonstrate surprising differences and similarities in their views of major events of the 20th century, according to a study conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide for The History Channel. When asked to choose the one event that interests them most, men are more likely than women to choose wars (26 percent vs. 15 percent), technological advancements (7 percent vs. 2 percent), or economic events (11 percent vs. 6 percent). For women, the Oklahoma City bombing (7 percent vs. 2 percent of men), major health developments (17 percent vs. 11 percent) such as AIDS or the development of antibiotics, and events related to women's rights or the changing role of women in society (10 percent vs. 2 percent) are more interesting than for men. The teleophone survey of 1,003 adults, conducted from Feb. 24 through March 8, has a maximum sampling error of ±3 percentage points.
In choosing among major events of each decade, women are about as likely as men to choose WWI (38 percent vs. 43 percent) or the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (28 percent vs. 29 percent).
Women are less likely to select the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima (22 percent vs. 33 percent), the war in Vietnam (27 percent vs. 34 percent), or Desert Storm (21 percent vs. 36 percent) as the most interesting events of the decades in which these took place, and they are less likely than men to choose a war as the single most interesting event of the 20th century (15 percent vs. 26 percent).
Men are twice as likely as women (39 percent vs. 20 percent) to describe the stock market crash of 1929 as the most interesting event of the I920s. In their choices of most interesting event of the century, 11 percent of men say they find one of three major economic events most interesting - the 1929 crash, the Great Depression that followed and FDR's New Deal to help the nation recover - compared with just 6 percent of women.
While many women find technological advances to be among the more interesting events of the century, men are at least three times as likely as women (7 percent vs. 2 percent) to select a technology event as the most interesting of the period.
Henry Ford's introduction of the Model-T rises to the top as the most interesting event of the first decade for 31 percent of men and only 18 percent of women. Similarly, 25 percent of men believe the first coast-to-coast phone call is the most interesting event of the second decade, as opposed to 19 percent of women.
Women are five times as likely as men (10 percent vs. 2 percent) to feel that the most interesting event of the entire 20th century was an event related to women's rights or the changing role of women. By a margin of nearly two to one, 51 percent of women (vs. 27 percent of men) feel the most interesting event of the 1920's was women beginning to vote in national elections.
Half a century later, in the 1970's, 51 percent of women again say the most compelling event of the decade is the women's movement for equal pay and job opportunity (vs. 33 percent of men). In their choice for the No.1 event of the 20th century, women are more inclined than men (17 percent vs. 11 percent) to cite AIDS or the advent of antibiotics.
When it comes to crises and disasters, women are much more likely than men (48 percent vs. 31 percent) to recognize the Oklahoma City bombing of the 1990's as the most compelling event of the decade. JFK's assassination drew much more attention from women than men (36 percent vs. 25 percent), in the 1960's, when men are more concerned with the Vietnam War (34 percent vs. 27 percent of women).
Nearly equal numbers of men and women believe that the most interesting events of the first decade (25 percent of men and 29 percent of women), the 1950's (50 percent and 54 percent) and the 1960's (26 percent and 28 percent) are the periods' civil rights movements. The struggles for social equality are also envisioned by virtually identical numbers of men (17 percent) and women (16 percent) as the most interesting events of the entire 20th century.
Loyalty programs work
Customer loyalty programs will increase business for companies, according to research findings from a study by Carlson Marketing Group (CMG) and Total Research Corporation. The survey on loyalty marketing and consumer spending, conducted during the fourth quarter of ]998 by the Minneapolis office of Total Research Corporation for Carlson Marketing Group, a division of Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies Inc., found that six out of 10 people claim spending more money with the company that offers their favorite loyalty program than they did before joining the program. Overall, people estimated they increased their spending by 27 percent.
"Brands can no longer depend on price and product alone to differentiate themselves," says Dick Dunn, vice president-business development, CMG's Loyalty operations. "Loyalty programs do increase business for a company, but for a loyalty program to be worthwhile, it must be possible to measure its effect on consumer spending. If it can't be measured, it's likely to be discontinued," adds Dunn.
The study noted that participants in airline and credit card programs were more likely than others to give more business to the company after joining its loyalty program. Credit card loyalty programs derived the greatest increase in usage, it said, with a 46 percent gain. Long-distance phone companies, rental car firms and lodging companies were also more likely to use such loyalty programs.
CMG said the survey of loyalty program members showed that rewards are the most important feature of any program - followed by special services, special offers or one-time discounts. The study also revealed that if a company were to discontinue its favorite loyalty program, 60 percent of the respondents would spend less with that company. Survey respondents estimated that, on average, they would cut spending by about 30 percent. Credit card companies would be most adversely affected by discontinuing their program.
Consumers reported that they participate in an average of 3.2 loyalty programs. Gender and income influence participation: as household income rises, people tend to participate in more loyalty programs, with men participating in more programs than women.
Make mine a microbrew
According to a recent Maritz AmeriPoll from St. Louis, Mo.-based Maritz Marketing Research, 51 percent of all Americans have had at least one serving of beer in the past month. Of those who drink alcohol, 84 percent have hoisted at least one mug of suds during the past month. The survey of 996 American adults over the age of 21 also finds that the average number of servings of beer consumed monthly (among those who drink beer) is 18.7. Men who drink beer drink twice as much as women, averaging 22.8 servings monthly, compared to 11.3 for women. The highest average number of beers consumed monthly, 23.3, is found among the youngest drinkers age 21-24, while the lowest average, 12.5, is among seniors age 65 and older.
Sixty-three percent of beer drinkers say they have drunk at least one regular beer in the past month; numbers are slightly higher for men (67 percent) than women (56 percent). Light beer has an edge among female beer drinkers, 53 percent of whom have had at least one in the past month, compared to 46 percent of men. Just 4 percent of beer drinkers have consumed a non-alcoholic beer in the same time period. A majority of that beer, 63 percent, is drunk at home, with the rest consumed at bars, restaurants, and other establishments.
Younger groups tend to do more of their beer drinking socially, away from home, with 21-34-year-olds consuming approximately 52 percent of their monthly beer intake in bars and restaurants. Older age groups (age 35-54), on the other hand, go out for about 37 percent of their beers. Over half (58 percent) of American beer drinkers say their household beer consumption has stayed about the same compared to last year, while 11 percent say it has increased, and 31 percent say it has decreased. More women say their beer intake has increased - though only slightly (13 percent compared to 10 percent of men).
Maritz AmeriPoll asked several questions regarding advertising and purchasing habits. Just over half (54 percent) of all respondents say they can recall seeing or hearing television, radio, print, or billboard beer advertising during the past month. Men tend to have greater recall of beer ads than women (59 percent vs. 49 percent). Recall was highest at 60 percent among younger people, age 21-34. Most respondents who drink or buy beer (88 percent) say they are not likely to purchase a particular brand of beer based on advertisements they have seen. About 9 percent say they are somewhat likely, and just 2 percent say they are very likely. In-store displays do not seem to be effective either, as 83 percent say these displays are not likely to sway their choice of beer purchases.
Price appears to be a bit more motivating. While 60 percent of beer drinkers/buyers say that discounts, sales, or price promotions are not likely to affect their choice of beer, 40 percent say that price is somewhat or very likely to affect their decision. Men are more swayed by price than women (18 percent of men say price is very likely to affect their choice, compared to 13 percent of women), as are younger buyers age 21-24 (20 percent say price is very likely to affect their choice of beer).
Nearly 70 percent of those who drink and/or buy beer say they generally base their choice of beer on brand, not price. Men tend to be more brand conscious than women (73 percent vs. 67 percent). Brand preference over price also tends to increase with income.
When it comes to beer. men are much more willing than women to try new things: 22 percent of men who drink beer say they are very likely to try a new brand, compared to just 9 percent of women. Overall, about half (51 percent) of beer drinkers say they're not likely, 32 percent say they're somewhat likely, and 16 percent say they are very likely. Adventurousness also decreases with age, with 21 percent of drinkers age 21-34 very likely to try a new beer brand, compared to just 8 percent of those age 5S and older. Respondents with lower incomes are also more cautious with their beer money, and tend to be less willing to try new brands than respondents with higher incomes. A few survey respondents (just 8 percent) have tried brewing their own beer, most of them men.
Of those who have a favorite brand of beer, the following are the rankings of their choices:
#1 Budweiser Brand.................27 percent
#2 Miller Brand........................17 percent
#3 Coors Brand......................11 percent
#4 Michelob Brand....................9 percent
#5 Busch Brand........................4 percent
Corona Brand...........................4 percent
#6 Heineken Brand....................3 percent
#7 Molson Brand.......................2 percent
Samuel Adams Brand................ 2 percent
A look at air travel patterns among Hispanics
Two Hispanics in five (40 percent) traveled by air during the last 12 months, according to Hispanic Express, a product of Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch, a survey firm headquartered in suburban Philadelphia. Past-year airline travel was highest among bilingual Hispanics (47 percent) and lowest among Spanish-dominant Hispanics (36 percent).
Two-thirds of Hispanic airline passengers took two or fewer trips by air. Slightly more than half of these trips were to U.S. cities and 4S percent of the travelers had Latin American destinations. Spanish-language usage appeared to be strongly related to a Hispanic traveler's destination. Spanish-dominant Hispanics most often flew to Latin America. Most bilingual and English-dominant Hispanics visited U.S. cities. Almost three-fourths of all Hispanic travelers' (71 percent) air travel was for personal reasons. Business-only trips accounted for 16 percent of all trips, while 13 percent of all trips were for both business and personal reasons.
Among Hispanics, American Airlines is the best-known airline by far. Three-fourths of the sample (76 percent) are aware of the carrier on an unaided basis. Continental is a distant second (39 percent), followed by Delta (32 percent), Southwest (31 percent) and United (21 percent). Hispanics usage of airlines during the past year replicates the findings for awareness. More than one-third of Hispanics (37 percent) have flown American Airlines during the past year, while only 17 percent flew Southwest Airlines and 16 percent flew Continental. Delta (9 percent) and Aero Mexico (8 percent) follow.
While American's strong presence in the Hispanic market is consistent by language usage, Southwest Airlines, Delta and TWA are much stronger among English-dominant Hispanics. Continental's presence among each "language" group varies only somewhat. Airline usage follows the same general tendency. Hispanic airline travel is highest with New York and Miami Hispanics, two markets with Caribbean populations. Past year air travel is lower in the three cities with large Mexican populations - Los Angeles, San Antonio and Houston.
New Yorkers and Miamians more often traveled to Latin American destinations. Almost three New York Hispanics in five (58 percent) and 55 percent of Miami Hispanics flew to Latin American cities during the past year. In contrast, less than one San Antonio Hispanic in five (18 percent) flew to Latin America during the past 12 months. Mexico's proximity to San Antonio's overwhelmingly Mexican-American population may explain this finding.
The carriers' presence in the five markets reflects the regional nature of the airline competition. The carriers are strongest in the markets they either serve directJy or have hubs, and weakest in markets in which they have few flights. For example, three-fourths of San Antonio Hispanics (77 percent) and two-fifths of Houston Hispanics (41 percent) are aware of Southwest Airlines - a Texas-based carrier. In contrast, only 9 percent of Miamians and 1 percent of New Yorkers mention Southwest - markets the airline does not serve.
The other airlines' regional strengths among Hispanics are as follows: American - Miami (93 percent), New York (89 percent) and San Antonio (86 percent); Continental - Houston (78 percent); Delta - San Antonio (47 percent); TWA - New York (4 percent); Aero Mexico and Mexicana - Los Angeles. United awareness varied little across the five markets examined. It was slightly stronger in Los Angeles and Miami. (Chicago, United's headquarters, was not included in this wave of Hispanic Express.)
Advertising, particularly Spanishlanguage advertising, appears to drive awareness and usage in this category. Two-fifths of Hispanics (42 percent) recall advertising for American Airlines. In contrast only 11 percent recall Southwest Airlines ads and 10 percent recall Continental Airlines ads. Approximately half Spanish-dominant and bilingual Hispanics recall American Airlines ads, while only approximately one-fourth of English-dominant Hispanics recall American ads. This suggests that the carrier's Hispanic advertising campaign has made a strong impact. In contrast, only 2 percent of Spanish-dominant Hispanics recall Southwest Airlines advertisements, while 25 percent of English-dominant Hispanics recall Southwest Airlines ads.
Each month Hispanic Express covers New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Antonio, and includes one bonus market per month. Each sample contains an equal number of male and female respondents.
Greeting cards serving as gift substitute
Half of all adult Americans purchased greeting cards in the past year, while cards are more accepted as a substitute for a gift, a new market research report shows. The greeting card and stationery market reached $12.1 billion in retail sales in 1998, according to the report, The Greeting Card and Stationery Report: The Market, The Industry, The Trends, published by Unity Marketing. Greeting cards alone, which account for over 60 percent of the total category sales, rose 3 percent over 1997 levels to reach $7.5 billion in sales.
"Greeting cards and stationery are one of the most important consumer categories within the overall giftware industry," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing. "Half of the adult consumers surveyed in our nationwide research purchased a greeting card in the past year from either a specialty retailer, a mass merchant or by mail order. The research also shows that more consumers are using a greeting card as a substitute or replacement for a gift."
The prime market for greeting cards and other stationery products is an individual between 25 and 44 years of age, living in a multiple-person household. Women purchase cards only slightly more frequently than men. The typical greeting card consumer purchases 12 individual cards per year and two boxed sets of cards. While the growth prospects for the greeting card and stationery market continue to be positive, Unity's research reveals shifts in consumer attitudes that can represent significant changes to the market's growth prospects in the future.
The research uncovered four different types of greeting card consumers based upon differences in purchase motivations and buying behavior. The largest consumer segment, accounting for about one-third of greeting card consumers, is called a Downtrender. These individuals are buying fewer greeting cards today than they did in the past. They tend to be older and are more likely to be retired. The Sentimentalists, just under 30 percent of the market, represent the avid greeting card consumer, who purchases IS cards per year and tends to shop for cards once a month or more frequently. The Practicals, 21 percent of card consumers, purchase about the same number of cards per year as the Sentimentalists, but are more likely to buy boxed sets of cards. The Practicals also consider a greeting card an acceptable substitute for a gift. The Technologist, about 17 percent of the market, is an emerging segment in the greeting card market. These computer-savvy greeting card consumers view e-mail as a substitute for a traditional card. This segment is more likely to be male, single, and between the ages of 25-to-34.
"The Technologist is the prime target market for greeting card publishers exploring the Internet as a distribution channel," says Danziger. "For continued growth, greeting card marketers must continue to meet the needs of the Sentimentalists and Practical consumer segments, while striving to capture the declining interest of Downtrenders and providing e-commerce-based solutions for the Technologists."
In response to shifts in consumer trends, greeting card publishers are offering a wide range of new alternatives to consumers. "New subjects such as cards to and from the household pet, cards showcasing favorite licensed characters from cartoons and movies, as well as the popularity of ethnically-oriented cards are all contributing to the rise in sales of greeting cards," says Danziger. "Publishers are also presenting cards designed to be more relevant to the social trends impacting the family and the workplace, such as cards for children of divorce, step-parent cards and working mother and parent-traveling cards."