I love a bargain. Perhaps it comes from working retail for 13 years. Perhaps it is just because I LOVE to shop. Whatever the reason, a recent Chicago Tribune (8.10.11) article says that “outlet malls are becoming more of a routine shopping destination”. If you ever drive into Chicago on I-88 you go past the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora about an hour or so out of the city. The parking lot is always full and you might drive around for some time trying to snag a space. You will also most likely be waiting in line to pay at the more popular stores like Coach, Nike or Kate Spade. In fact, they Simon Property Group that owns the Aurora center announced in July 2011 that they will be adding a 130,000 square foot wing to the already 4440,000 center to begin in 2012. Yippee! More deals to be had. During lean economic times, consumers are looking to still dress themselves in the latest designer fashions but at a better price. We become more focused on price. So, instead of planning a family excursion to the outlets those stops become more frequent for bargain hunting shoppers. According to Michele Rothstein, SVP at Simon “We’ve all come out of the recession with a whole new awakening that maybe we’ve got to do things a little differently”. Think about your shopping habits. Have they changed over the last few years? Have stores that you frequent market to you differently? The world of retail has changed vastly since in managed stores. Online shopping has virtually brought every name brand or retailer into our homes. What have you bought lately? Did you feel that you got a bargain? If not, how come? Happy shopping!
8.12.2011
8.04.2011
Radio Makes People "Happy"
By Kellie J. Lala
A client of ours sent me an interesting article from England. A new study from across the pond concluded that “listening to the radio makes people happier than watching TV or surfing the Internet”. I knew I loved London and Princess Diana for some reason! J Anyway, 1000 Brits participated in the study using their smartphones to respond to questions regarding their media consumption. Radio is a life support system for listeners. We tell you the weather and if your child needs a coat while waiting for the bus. We give you updates on the traffic issues on I-380. We alert you to potentially harmful weather (we have real live people in the building 24/7/365 to do just that).
Ask yourself-why do you listen to the radio? The study’s participants said that the whole idea of listening to the radio was to “gain companionship and, at the same time, enjoyment”. We all like to listen to music. Music makes us feel good. You select the station playing the music that best suites our tastes. That is why there are so many different stations around-a nice variety that will serve the mass population. Radio is much like ice cream. “You choose the station that tastes best to you-the flavor you like the best is going to give you the most enjoyment”. Radio also supports people’s daily activities. Getting you up in the morning, motivating and keeping you company when you are cleaning the house and a friendly voice in the car on those long road trips. The study also said that radio is more “resilient” than ever. Radio continues to “embrace social media and smart phone technology to interact with their listener”. Radio has the ability to drive it’s over the air users to digital platforms thus making the advertisers happy. In fact, go to http://www.kzia.com/ and see how you can download an app for your smart phone and Z102.9 can go wherever you take your phone. How cool is that?
“Radio is such an integral part of our daily lives that perhaps we’ve forgotten how it truly affects us. A lot of new media gets the attention and buzz, but people use radio more and more every year”. Thanks for tuning in!
(Article in the Huffington Post 7/20/11)
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