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Andrew Davidson 
Susan Menke 
Susan Wolfe 
Lisa Hronek Archive for July, 2010
Royal Caribbean and DreamWorks Pair Up
I received an email recently from Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor loyalty program informing me that Royal Caribbean has teamed up with DreamWorks to create a “once-upon-a-time” cruising experience for families.
Image how the kids (and kids at heart) will feel about a sail away party with Shrek, or a photo op with Kung Fu Panda while on vacation. Being termed The DreamWorks experience, travelers will get to enjoy features such as meals, parades and photo opportunities with their favorite DreamWorks characters
Other highlights include passengers being able to enjoy movies on the ship’s 3-D movie theater, the pleasure of watching first-run DreamWorks films on board and the opportunity to watch an ice show featuring characters from How to Train your Dragon.
The program will first start on the Allure of the Seas, set to sail in December 2010. The DreamWorks experience will then be expanded to the Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas in 2011. Who’s ready to join Royal Caribbean and its new DreamWorks experience?
Upcoming Webinar: Financial Services Consumer in Today’s Economy
Please join Mintel Comperemedia’s, Susan Menke, Ph. D and Economic Psychologist, on July 22, 2010 for a free webinar entitled “Beyond the New Normal: The Financial Services Consumer in Today’s Economy.” The webinar will start promptly at 2pm CT.
You can register HERE.
Over the last two years, the banking crisis and the “great recession” have caused a dramatic shift in consumer’s attitudes and behaviors. Consumers are now asking for different kinds of products and services from their financial services providers, and the most successful companies will listen to what they are saying and act accordingly.
A few of the questions to be discussed in this webinar include:
– How is the consumer mindset changing as they place more emphasis on asset accumulation and less on consumption?
– What are the similarities and differences in the ways Gen X, Gen Y and Baby Boomers have been affected?
– What specifically is driving the level of trust (or lack thereof) in the financial services industry? How instrumental are concerns about privacy and security?
– What is the current status of financial reform legislation, and what does the consumer think about it?
– What is currently driving consumer satisfaction with the financial services industry? How does this relate to the “emerging under-banked” trend that Mintel has been discussing for the last several years?
– How important will social media be to the future of the industry?
The webinar will last 45 minutes with 15 minutes of Q&A. All attendees will receive a copy of the presentation and the slides following the webinar. Also, you can check back here on the Comperemedia Blog to see answers to questions submitted during the webinar from July 23, 2010 on.
Want to learn more about Susan Menke, VP of Mintel Comperemedia? Read her bio or contact us_marketing@mintel.com to get in touch with her.
Latino Insurance Agents
Recently the Latin Agents and Brokers Association (LABA) announced its formation with a core of 14 members. This group will be joining the Latin American Agents Association, founded in 1998, and the other national agent associations.
The stated goal for LABA is to support agents and brokers who are working in the Hispanic market. LABA has the dual goals of increasing membership to 140 by September and expanding beyond the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas. To see how these goals compare with LAAA, I looked to their newsletter Agenda which boasts a national readership of 25,000.
We are seeing more Spanish language insurance direct mail pieces in Comperemedia, most noticeably from State Farm and Farmers. (If you’d like to learn more about them, please email us_marketing@mintel.com.)
The Hispanic market has been a top tier topic at many insurance marketing conferences over the past few years. Are we now seeing these efforts taking hold?
Will Apple continue to Dazzle?
Off the heels of a successful rollout of the Apple iPad, Apple has unveiled the Apple iPhone 4.0.
While a prototype was discovered and authenticated earlier this year, questions still arise as to what Apple has up its sleeve. Will the company be able to raise the bar again within the smartphone realm, as top competitors like Google, Samsung and Motorola (for example) continue to close the gap in the uniqueness of the iPhone with similar products?
Does the new iPhone have enough “oomph” to propel it dramatically ahead of the competition again? Only time will tell if the public will embrace the fourth generation of the iPhone, but given Apple’s successful past, I am betting that the new version will be well received. What do you think?