Mobile Matters in China
One thing that is certain in 2013 is that China will continue to be an area of intense interest and importance for many of us. Next month, Chinese will celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Snake,...
View ArticleDigesting Higher Food Prices
Another near-certainty for 2013 is that the impact of higher food prices will be felt by consumers around the globe. Just in time for the New Year, a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) economist...
View ArticleWhy the Digital Generation Loves Geocaching
During the Christmas holiday, I finally took up the opportunity to go geocaching. While I had heard of this activity before, my understanding of it was vague and ill-defined. Now that I have tried it I...
View ArticleCES 2013: GfK User Centric Consultants Identify the Latest UX Trends
What trends did GfK’s User Experience(UX) team notice at CES 2013? Watch our interview with Robert Schumacher, Executive Vice President, GfK User Centric, as he reflects on smarthome devices and...
View ArticleMy Communications Mantra for 2013: “Do Unto Others … “
Like many of you, dear readers, I succumb annually to the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions – go to the gym more, eat healthier, treat my addiction to travel magnets, and so on. Some stick...
View ArticleLet Your Old Age Freak Flag Fly
There are four things I’m pretty certain about for 2013. First, I will run the New York half-marathon on the third Sunday in March, passing through Central Park and Times Square, then down the west...
View ArticleSometimes, Ethnic Difference Is Not So Different
Watching focus groups in the province of Quebec, in French and broken English, with the occasional joual thrown in for colour, it strikes me how strongly our preconceptions of cultural difference can...
View ArticleBrands Are People, Too? BlackBerry, Alicia Keys, and the Language of Brand...
Using human relationships as a proxy for understanding consumer-brand connections is an emerging trend that GfK has been following closely – one clearly illuminated with the launch of the BlackBerry...
View ArticleChina – the Year of the Snake and of Consumer Power
On February 10th 2013, Chinese consumers around the world will be welcoming the year of the Snake. It is believed that, like the Dragon, the Snake doesn’t settle for mediocrity. This I find is very...
View ArticleGlobal UX: 6 Website Design Trends Shaping the Chinese E-commerce Industry
China’s e-commerce industry has been growing rapidly in recent years. Looking forward, that trend is only going to continue as total projected sales are estimated to reach $364 billion by 2015,...
View ArticleLife in Post-Recession America: New Findings from the Heldrich Center Studies
It has been four years since the start of The Great Recession and, as of today, three quarters of Americans have been touched directly by its affects. The US economy has experienced some gains, as...
View ArticleGetting the Measure of Southeast Asia
I had the pleasure of travelling to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in quick succession last month. There were two key questions that were asked of me in each of these markets,...
View ArticleA Brand New World (Part 1): An Exciting Paradigm Shift in Marketing and MR
Think about the many different ways consumers experience your brand today compared to a year ago. Now think about how many more ways there will be to experience your brand tomorrow. The marketing arena...
View ArticleTourism in Troubled Times: How Nation Brands Are Faring
by Xiaoyan Zhao and Asli Erenoglu With the troubled economies of so many nations making headlines, it has become even more essential to monitor and manage the reputations of countries that rely heavily...
View ArticleCooking Up The Perfect Mobile Recipe App
We all have to eat; preferably every day. For better or worse, I often find myself turning to recipes to spice up my options and learn something new. While I do admit to being a bit of a cookbook...
View ArticleDebunking the innovation myth
If you think it’s impossible to predict innovation, think again. Do you remember when Bluetooth first appeared on the market? How many can say, hand on heart, that they truly understood the particular...
View ArticleIs this the start of a beautiful relationship economy?
The relationship between consumers and brands have become more complex and tightly knit over the last decade. Marketers walk a fine line between sustaining and enhancing the bond, and not being pushy...
View ArticleSocial media influences how we shop
It’s easy to forget that social media is only around a decade old. Its phenomenal growth in that time has changed our lives in many ways – not least when it comes to how we shop. It also continues to...
View ArticleYou don’t need a crystal ball to uncover future opportunities, just a keen eye
The dynamic nature of the relationship between consumers’ needs and what the market place offers is the key to discovering where the white spaces lie for your future innovation. Understand the fine...
View ArticleChicago’s Bean: What art teaches us about the user experience
When it comes to improving the user experience, sometimes we needn’t look any further than our own backyards. Through an ethnographic lens, we can see features that promote a positive user experience...
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