As brand loyalty continues to slide for the third consecutive year, Deloitte's annual American Pantry Study shows close to nine in 10 consumers are choosing private-label or store brands over national brands.

"Every manufacturer has been affected by this," said Pat Conroy, vice chairman and U.S. Consumer Producers Leader at Deloitte. "None of the manufacturers had as many must-have brands as they thought they did. The playing field has fundamentally changed. It will not go back to the way it was right before the recession…Manufacturers must find a way to differentiate the product and find a better way to get the product into the consumer's pantry."

As for consumers, an air of remorse hangs over their heads from a past filled with careless spending habits, which was exacerbated by the recession. “They tried various lower cost options and the vast majority of them found there was little noticeable difference in quality. This was an epiphany for the consumer," adds Conroy.Continue reading...

Winning takes care of everything. Or so says Nike. 

The sporting goods giant posted a quickly contentious image on its Nike Golf Facebook and Twitter accounts this week in the wake of Tiger Woods’ record-tying eighth victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational showing the newly-(re)crowned world No. 1-ranked golfer sizing up a putt. The slogan, “Winning takes care of everything,” a favorite saying of Woods since 2009, is front and center. At the bottom, of course, is Nike’s famous swoosh—alongside the word, “Victory.”

Nike says the statement references Woods’ perseverance to return to the top of his sport and is a salute to his athletic performance. But everything? Please. Sports fans weren’t the only ones who devoured every titillating detail of Woods’ personal life when it was exposed following his late 2009 admission of multiple extra-marital affairs.Continue reading...

Across the globe, people everywhere are pulling out their cell phones and tablets and e-readers—in buses and trains, in hallways and doorways, on beaches and ski lifts, in bedrooms and in bathrooms. Everywhere, the world is turning to look at mobile devices. Those devices may be getting all the attention out in the world, but the mobile world is much deeper than that, of course, and will have many ramifications for how the world lives.

The mobile world will be taking a close look at itself when the annual Mobile World Congress opens in Barcelona on Feb. 25th. To kick things off, the mobile world’s major association, the GSMA, will showcase how it expects mobile will change in the future by building a “Connected City” that expands on last year's connected house exhibit by featuring everything from a town hall, department store, and apartment to an electrical store, hotel, cafe and lounge, and a car showroom, among other things. With each location, different brands and innovations will be featured.

At MWC's fully connected city street, AT&T will showcase how people can manage their energy consumption and home security. Deutsche Telekom and IBM will show off how their using mobile help create better public transportation as well as  energy, security and water management. Aston Martin will show off a bike that features embedded sensors that communicate with an on-board computer to help athletes get a slew of data on how they are performing.Continue reading...

Digital messaging will rise in 2013 and owners of prime real-estate (out-of-home landlords) are increasingly venturing into the landscape for marketing and revenue.

According to a new report from Accenture, “Despite the global economic downturn, significant infrastructure projects are still being planned or built, and interestingly, the money realized from selling advertising space at airports, train stations and other transport hubs will supplement the finances needed to deliver the upcoming large-scale projects.”

Opportunities for owners of public and private facilities, struggling to offset rising costs, such as airports and on-road transit systems abound. Recent US transit examples include: Cleveland renamed the new Bus Rapid Transit system the “HealthLine” promoting the Cleveland clinic and University Hospitals; the Chicago Transit Authority is in the process of selling naming rights of 11 train stations to advertisers; and the New York MTA is considering selling advertising space on the front of the subway MetroCard.

Kerry Bianchi, Managing Director, Global Lead for Media Management, Accenture Interactive, spoke with brandchannel about the biggest obstacles to digital out of home advertising in 2013.Continue reading...

As the holidays are fast upon us, the brightest creative-commerce minds are devising promotions, deals and give-aways to snare the 2012 shopper wherever and whenever he or she may be.

The U.S. National Retail Foundation estimates that Holiday 2012 shoppers will spend $750 per family (up less than 1% from last year), with shopping smarter particularly important for higher-priced tech items that one-third of the population is focused on as lead gifts.

New research from Accenture shows a shift in consumer purchasing behavior and use of shopping channels, specifically online, regarding personalization vs. privacy, digital vs. in-store shopping and the rise of “showrooming.”Continue reading...

One in five consumers in 2012 switched companies they buy from including wireless phone, internet service and retailers according to new research released today from Accenture. 

The Accenture Global Consumer Survey polled more than 12,000 consumers in 32 countries and found that 85% of consumers would have stayed if their provider had acted differently. “Companies need to embrace the changing dynamics of what we call the nonstop customer experience,” Robert Wollan, global managing director of the Accenture Sales & Customer Services told brandchannel.

“The traditional customer-engagement funnel—beginning with cultivating awareness and ending with securing a customer’s purchase and loyalty—has lost its relevance. After all, many of today’s buyers neither enter nor exit a channel at one single point. As long as they’re using a smartphone, tablet or Internet-enabled PC, they are continuously in the channel.”Continue reading...

Luxury brands can take some comfort from at least one new forecast. Luxury spending is poised to make a comeback next year in the US — but on a modest scale, according to the Luxury Shopping Survey, just published by Accenture.

Of the more than 2,000 U.S. adults surveyed, half of them said they are likely to make a "small" luxury purchase in the next six months. What categories would move them from "likely" to "definitely"? The items they indicated they're ready to splurge on include specialty food or drinks (53 percent of respondents), luxury clothing (48 percent) and luxury personal care products (48 percent). More than half (57 percent) intend to purchase luxury apparel that they could mix into their everyday wardrobe.

"Consumers want a taste of luxury in their everyday lives, and are willing to spend a little extra for the experience, but the emphasis is on small items," commented Tom Jacobson, managing director of the Accenture Pricing & Profit Optimization practice. "They may think twice about purchasing a new handbag, but shop for a wallet as an alternative."Continue reading...

Traditionally, Black Friday retail sales in the U.S., falling on the public day off that is the day after Thanksgiving, has been a bellweather for the holiday shopping season. But this year, retailers have been trying to preempt Black Friday in order to get a jump on holiday sales. 

Target tried to literally move Christmas to July with its summertime "Bonus Black Friday" and "Summer Cyber Week" sales. Meanwhile, Amazon said it would turn Black Friday into a whole week of special deals beginning on Monday, November 19, the week of Thanksgiving. Walmart, on the other hand, may have something to fear, as employees threatened to blacken the chain's holiday sales with a possible Black Friday strike.

The good news for retailers is that consumers are apparently ready to shop. The majority of U.S. consumers, 51 percent, have already made their holiday shopping plans this year and will make purchases with money they have set aside specifically for the holidays, according to the just-released Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey.Continue reading...