I can’t predict the future, but I’m fairly sure about Staycationing, Staying In and Savvy Shopping

cartoon by Tom Fishburne I keep being asked at work to have a stab at predicting consumer attitudes and behaviours in three, six or even twelve months time.  Since no-one seems to be sure whether we are in a W or V shaped recession, this is a tad challenging to say the least. I am … Continue reading I can’t predict the future, but I’m fairly sure about Staycationing, Staying In and Savvy Shopping

Bring me sunshine

It appears that a depressed economy results in (sometimes misleadingly) uplifting marketing and content. Marley and Me (major spoiler follows), about an uncontrollable Labrador and his hapless owners has cleaned up at the US and UK box office. It was marketed as a lightweight comedy, but I saw it over the weekend and it seems … Continue reading Bring me sunshine

understanding value

Like many other Planners I suspect, I’ve been pulling together a lot of insight pieces for work recently looking at the effect of the downturn economy on buying behaviour. Since it’s proper paid-for-by-my-employer stuff drawing on all the groups and depths the research team have been doing with mums recently, I can’t really share it … Continue reading understanding value

we’re all doomed…right?

So, the economy is in free fall and we’re all doomed. Right? The quallies at work have been doing a lot of focus groups with Credit Crunched Mums recently. Apparently yes, Mums are being careful and trying to be more frugal – but a lot of them are doing so not because they are very … Continue reading we’re all doomed…right?

Economic Indicators

Sorry to keep banging on about this (now apparently official) recession.  But a few things cropped up over the weekend that I thought were worth sharing. On the downside, over the last couple of days I’ve had reports of a restaurant where the takings are down 20% year on year, the hairdresser whose customers have … Continue reading Economic Indicators

When the going gets tough, its time to buy lipstick

I’m sure you’ve all read the ‘upsurge in sales for shoe repairers’ stories in the news suggesting that some sectors of the economy actually benefit from a downturn, in this case as people get their shoes repaired rather than splashing out on a new pair. There was also an interesting piece in the New York … Continue reading When the going gets tough, its time to buy lipstick

Worried? You should be.

Worried about the economy or think its all a lot of hot air?  A couple of months ago I would have said that we were in danger of talking ourselves into a recession, now I think its clear that we are in for one whether we like it or not: Manufacturing output fell for the … Continue reading Worried? You should be.

The Downwave Revisited

    I found an old copy of ‘Into the Upwave’ by Robert Beckman at home (loving the author pic).  It was published in 1988 but some of it is so relevant right now that they might as well save money on economists and read the first few chapters out loud on the Ten O’Clock News … Continue reading The Downwave Revisited