Ranks of 'Hyperconnected' Poised to Boom

Some 16 percent of the global information workforce is "Hyperconnected" — and the 36 percent who are "Increasingly Connected" will likely be joining them soon — according to a recent study that examined device and application use and used cluster analysis to identify various groupings, MarketingCharts reports.

The global IDC study sponsored by Nortel, titled "The Hyperconnected - Here They Come!" (May 2008), also identified lesser-connected groups - the "Passive Online," and "Barebones Users" (via Micro Persuasion and Church of the Customer):

On average, the Hyperconnected use at least seven electronic devices and nine connectivity applications to access the online network, for both personal and business use..
In general, the Hyperconnected make heavy use of the internet, broadband access, camera phones, voice over IP, instant messaging, social networking and video uploading.

Other findings about the Hyperconnected:
The boundary between work and personal connectivity for the Hyperconnected is almost nonexistent. Two-thirds use text or instant messaging for both work and personal use. More than a third use social networking for both.

They depend on the devices and applications that make them Hyperconnected - 47 percent said a network outage at work would have an extreme impact on them.
They are found in all industries, but have above-average representation in banking and high tech:

They can be any age, although 60 percent are under 35 and only 7 percent over 55.
They are found in all countries, although higher than average in the US and China:

They come from all job functions and occupations, but are above the average in IT and research and development functions, lower than average in sales.
They come from all levels of the corporate ladder, but are above the average in management positions.
They can be male or female; 60 percent are male.
They have wired homes - 63 percent have home Wi-Fi vs. the average of 40 percent.
They tend to live in urban areas more than the other clusters.
They listen to more MP3s and play more networked games than the other clusters.
They lead the clusters in adoption of the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPhone, and Slingbox video transmitter.
They'd take their laptop out before their wallet or even mobile phone if they had to leave their house for 24 hours.
They see Hyperconnectivity as normal: Less than one-third think of themselves as early adopt¬ers of technology.
They work for early-adopter companies, which enable their employees to use advanced tools and solutions.

Source: MarketingVox

Republicans Just as Green as Democrats

Turns Out Shoppers in Red States Are At Least As Likely to Buy Sustainable Products

Being blue doesn't necessarily mean shopping green, and some of the reddest states at the polls are among the greenest at the grocery checkout, according to an analysis of shopping data by Catalina Marketing.

TRUE COLORS: Catalina Marketing's 'green shopping index,' where 100 is average, is based on a state's share of green shoppers -- those who purchase multiple products with environmental or sustainability claims on a trip -- divided by its share of shoppers in the company's checkout-marketing program.Indeed, when it comes to general-merchandise products, green shoppers appear largely red-blue color blind.

Catalina, using SAS Institute software to mine and analyze the data, found some of the heaviest "green" shopping in solidly red states such as Idaho, Alaska and Utah. While the blue Northeast was predictably green, blue-state environmentalist haven California came in with a subpar 85 index score, where 100 is average. And battleground state Florida had the second-lowest green index in the nation, just above Oklahoma.

Catalina defines shoppers as "green" if they buy multiple general-merchandise products that have green positioning. The index is computed by dividing a state's share of U.S. "green" shoppers by its share of traffic on the Catalina Network, which delivers coupons and, increasingly, ads at checkout. Disproportionate shoppingLaurie Wachter, senior VP-analytics for Catalina, has some explanations for the surprising findings. In some cases, green purchases may be heavier at stores outside Catalina's network, such as in California, depressing sales within the network.

However, 93% of stores on the system nationwide carry green products. Hispanic shoppers in some states with heavy shares for brands such as Colgate-Palmolive Co.'s Fabuloso also may have pulled down green indexes in places such as California, Texas and New Mexico. And, frankly, it doesn't take that many people to turn a red state green. Catalina has found that only 2.7% of shoppers account for 70% of purchases of green general-merchandise products. S

Somewhat surprisingly, a separate Catalina study found that green shoppers aren't necessarily organic-food shoppers: There is only 11% overlap between the two segments. Regardless of where they're sold, green products are getting big -- and profitable. The average number of "green" shoppers doubled each week between October 2007 and March 2008, Catalina found, and grocery transactions average three times bigger when a green product is in the cart.

Source: AdAge

Six in 10 Wealthy Consumers Online Use Social Networks

Big money needs a friend in marketing

The participation of wealthy online consumers in social networks dramatically increased to 60 percent in 2008, from 27 percent in 2007, according to The Luxury Institute's latest WealthSurvey, "The Wealthy and Web 2.0," MarketingCharts writes.

According to the report:
Participation levels of online wealthy consumers in leading social networks are 16 percent for MySpace, 13 percent for LinkedIn, and 11 percent for Facebook.
The wealthy average membership in 2.8 social networks, with an average of 110 connections.
They are intolerant of opt-out techniques: 65 percent say having their personal data given out without permission would cause them to disconnect; 63 percent have an interest in "do not track" lists.

"Being connected is second nature to these overachievers," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "We are pleasantly surprised at the rapid acceleration in the over 55-year-old wealthy consumers, whose participation increased fivefold, to 49 percent."

"The implications for luxury goods and services firms are profound. While some in the luxury industry are still debating e-commerce, search and banner ads, the majority of their customers have leaped into the online dialogue. Luxury needs to catch up quickly," Pedraza said.

About the study: A national sample of 805 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $287K and average net worth of $2.1 million, was surveyed online. Survey results are weighted to match demographic and net worth profiles of the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from The Federal Reserve.

Source: Marketing Vox

Wealthy Women Flex Financial Muscles

Married wealthy women make almost two-thirds (64 percent) of a family's purchase decisions on average, according to a Luxury Institute survey of women from households with $150,000 or more in annual income, MarketingCharts writes.

"Winning over wealthy women is a do-or-die proposition for companies in industries as varied as travel, healthcare, financial services and home improvement," said Milton Pedraza, CEO, the Luxury Institute. "Education is a big ingredient: 88 percent of wealthy women hold at least a bachelor's degree and 35 percent have a master's."

Marriott, Hilton, Visa and Home Depot stand out for their skill in marketing to wealthy women — each earned an unaided mention from 7 percent of respondents for being companies that do the best job of marketing to wealthy women.

Among other survey findings:
Women hold particular sway over home appliance and travel spending: in 68 percent of wealthy households, the matriarch has the final word on ovens, ranges, and refrigerators; 61 percent of them make the family's vacation decisions.
Healthcare decisions, including choice of plans and providers, are the domain of women in 48 percent of wealthy households, and nearly half (48 percent) call the shots on home improvement purchases.

In financial affairs, too, the female influence is significant: 22 percent of married wealthy women make all of the family's investment decisions on their own; another two-thirds report making financial decisions jointly; and 46 percent choose the family's bank accounts.

Source: Marketing Vox