Following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Santa Monica peace activist Jerry Rubin has resumed his "No Toy Guns Merit Award Project." Rubin's "Alliance for Survival" peace group will offer merit awards to children and families who pledge to not buy or play with toy guns. "Of course it is important year round, but why wait any longer? After the recent tragic gun violence killings of so many children, isn't it crucial to focus on all aspects of stopping further gun violence, including how so many children are learning at an early age, through the toy guns they play with, that it's okay just to pretend to kill their friends and fellow schoolmates …"

Sage North America recently released the results of its social enterprise and impact investment survey. According to the results, social enterprises — organizations that seek to address social or environmental issues while at the same time generating a profit — are becoming more common. "We are seeing an increase in socially conscious organizations that are weaving a commitment to people and the planet into their missions," said Krista Endsley, senior vice president and general manager of Sage Nonprofit Solutions. "The proliferation of social enterprise programs is moving many organizations into what is called a hybrid model of operation, where both a nonprofit and for-profit entity coexist in order to accomplish a social or environmental mission …"

Information management solutions provider SDL recently released a survey report that uncovers new findings about the importance of product content in customer experience management (CXM) and why interactive, contextually-aware, multimedia product information is a must-have in any customer engagement strategy. Product information — whether that's user manuals, how-to guides, or installation and troubleshooting guides — has always been considered a staple component in any customer purchasing experience. Yet little research has been done to analyze exactly how users access and leverage product information, and how it influences their perception of a product or brand. "This survey validates our belief that high-quality product content plays a critical role in improving the customer experience …"

ath Power Consulting recently announced the results of its 2012 ath Power Ideal Banking Study, a detailed assessment of the retail customer experience at banks nationwide. Findings from the annual study show that 41% of customers are satisfied overall with their primary banking institution, a notable rise from last year's average of 37%. Credit unions continue to achieve much higher satisfaction and advocacy rates compared to large regional and national banks. For the third year in a row, USAA ranked highest in overall satisfaction. "Over the past few years, financial institutions have been driven to become more customer-centric in an effort to retain current customers and attract new prospects — a response to a tougher regulatory environment …"

"Made in the U.S.A." labeling is increasingly becoming a marketing tool for brands — but with that moniker, many companies are finding, comes mounting responsibility. Even as data shows consumers are willing to pay a premium for better quality, quicker availability and product safety, consumers are more shrewd about how few consumer goods actually are made in the United States, leaving companies less wiggle room about the origin of products, the NY Times reports — companies are keenly aware that highlighting American-made credentials can backfire after the experience of the apparel maker Ralph Lauren, which provided uniforms for the 2012 United States Olympic team that were made in China — a move that resulted in threats of a boycott by some angry consumers …

Retailers have historically emphasized monetary rewards for repeat customers, but now loyalty programs need to be used to build gratifying personal relationships with customers, according to a new research study from Edgell Knowledge Network (EKN). State of the Industry Research Series: Customer Loyalty in Retail provides a review of the retail industry's loyalty programs, changing consumer behavior and retailers' expansion into new channels. "Product availability and customer service are two of the top three drivers of customer loyalty as noted by the survey respondent base. However, the focus needs to shift to the personal, local and emotional context of customer engagement in order to build rewarding personal relationships …"

The digitizing of America continues at a rapid pace spurred on by mobile devices. IDG Research Services surveyed more than 3,100 visitors to IDG technology media sites in the U.S., such as PCWorld, Macworld, CIO and Computerworld, to determine information consumption behaviors. The research, The Echo Effect: Understanding the Value of Tech Buyers, underscores the power of social media, the widespread use of mobile devices, and the reliance on video to make purchase decisions. "The reliance on mobile devices for purchase decisions tied to an ad is an important new factor," said IDG's Matthew Yorke. "Mobile usage has been soaring for a while but advertising has not. This research is a wakeup call for marketers …"

A firm's sustainability efforts are an increasingly visible and important factor in hiring and retaining top talent, according to Bain & Company, a global business consulting firm, in a newly-released Employee Perspectives on Sustainability study. Seventy percent of employees surveyed in the study stated greater concern for sustainable practices versus three years ago, primarily due to a greater awareness of global issues and a perceived higher urgency for companies to play a role in addressing them. "We're seeing direct evidence that individual attitudes on global sustainability are affecting employers' ability to recruit and retain engaged talent. We expect the number of sustainability enthusiasts to grow in the future, making this even more critical …"

Broadcom Corporation, a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced the results of the Broadcom Connectivity Study, a survey of 2,500 U.S. adults measuring connectivity trends across behavioral and demographic lines in today's digital life. The survey revealed seven distinct connectivity personality types among American adults, defined by two key dimensions: Connectivity, or the level of device and social media use; and Behavior, or how Web-enabled devices and online platforms are used to connect to others. The survey uncovered that gender and age are the main drivers of connectivity — the highly connected are more likely to be female or a Millennial (ages 18-31), while the less connected tend to be …

Video is a powerful influencer for U.S. shoppers, with consumer-generated reviews leading engagement and conversion. According to research recently released by EXPO, a consumer network focused on creating and distributing high-impact product video, 98% of consumers surveyed found video reviews helpful for their holiday shopping. This finding coincides with the marked increase in video viewership during the start of the holiday shopping season. "Shoppers are increasingly engaging with their favorite brands digitally, and we're finding that video can have a very powerful effect on how others perceive the brand or product. This research confirms that consumers are more receptive to the opinions of people who appear to be just like them than to more traditional marketing strategies …"

Influencer marketing technology firm BlogFrog (www.theblogfrog.com) recently outlined major trends it believes will shape the influencer marketing industry in 2013. Influencer marketing has emerged as one of the fastest-growing social marketing practices as brand marketers look to connect with consumers and customers in meaningful and authentic ways — often through the collective voice of active bloggers that are passionate and vocal about the brands they love. "During the past year, influencer marketing has experienced tremendous growth based on the continued maturity of technology platforms, best practices and the savvy work of brand marketers across a range of industries. We see strong momentum continuing to build in 2013 as PR, digital marketing and …"

An analysis of proxy statements of Chicago's top 50 companies by revenue reveals that the representation of minorities in corporate board rooms and top executive positions has not significantly improved within the last decade despite changing population demographics, decades of affirmative action and numerous corporate diversity initiatives. In Chicago United's 2012 Corporate Diversity Profile, analysis was done at the board of directors, C-suite and executive levels for the top 50 Chicago-headquartered companies by revenue. Of these three levels, ethnic minorities had a greater presence on boards of directors, holding 12% of the seats. When looking exclusively at C-suite positions, minority representation was 7%, and in executive positions, it was 10% …

Motorola Solutions' new Holiday Shopping Study finds that technology continues to radically transform the traditional holiday shopping experience as 61 percent of surveyed retail managers believe that shoppers are better connected to information than in-store associates. Surveyed shoppers echoed a similar sentiment — as nearly one half (46 percent) of Gen Y shoppers, four in ten (38 percent) Gen X shoppers and one third (32 percent) Boomer shoppers felt better connected to product information than associates. "When shoppers have so many options, it is clear that retailers who embrace technology to enable their store associates to directly engage shoppers are creating differentiation through customer service …"

Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. reached $9.26 billion for the third quarter of 2012, making the quarter the biggest on record, according to the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report figures released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC US. These figures show an 18 percent climb year-over-year, in comparison to Q3 2011's $7.8 billion. "These historic investments in interactive point to the strong results that marketers are receiving from digital marketing," said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of IAB. "It is a highly effective medium for interacting and engaging consumers, who are no longer passive, but are active participants in contemporary media online …"

Temkin Group, a market research and consulting firm that helps organizations improve their customer experience, this week released a new research report that analyzes feedback and purchase behaviors after good and bad experiences. The report shows that consumers encounter bad experiences most frequently with TV service providers, retailers, and Internet service providers, but report the fewest bad experiences with grocery chains. In addition, when consumers feel that a company responded very poorly after a bad experience, almost three quarters of them stopped or decreased their spending with the company. On the other hand, when companies had a very good response, less than one out of five decreased their spending and more than one third increased their spending …

Ninety-six percent of American mothers plan to make changes to their food-buying habits in 2013, according to the results of a national survey of more than 1,000 mothers, conducted by Fleishman-Hillard and TheMotherhood.com. The study, Cart to Kitchen 2013: Slicing Into Moms' Food Decisions, identified key drivers behind moms' consumer behaviors in meal planning, grocery shopping and meal preparation, as well as changes food marketers should anticipate in 2013. It also uncovered insights about the food influencers and media channels moms trust most when it comes to making food-buying decisions. "Moms are turning to their peers online and off for information about food — from general to more specific information about …"

In order to understand Millennials' value, mindset, habits and engagement across multiple retail channels, Teen Vogue — a monitor of Millennial fashion and beauty enthusiasts in America — has identified and profiled a subsegment of shoppers called Multi-Channel Millennials. These are shoppers who: Research products and merchandise through the Internet and social media; shop weekly in-store and online or on mobile devices; and communicate with retailers via social media. They are more passionate, more active, and bigger spenders; Multi-Channel Millennials spent an average of $3,128 on clothing, shoes and accessories in the past year — 26% more than total Millennial shoppers. Also, 83% of Multi-Channel Millennials intend to spend either more or the same amount next year, while only 17% intend to spend less …

IMN, a digital marketing company that delivers branded newsletters and content for vertical markets, this week unveiled the results of its multi-industry content marketing survey. IMN polled marketers across multiple industries on the current state of their content marketing programs including the structure, goals, challenges and program measurement practices, to serve as a benchmark for market trends among small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). "The survey revealed to us that while content marketing is important to small and medium-sized businesses, there is still great opportunity across industries for companies to improve and fine tune their strategies to drive deeper engagement with customers," said Nancy Liberman, vice president of marketing at IMN …

A new survey of online shoppers revealed consumers have higher expectations of online shopping than ever before. Shopping-service network ShopRunner conducted the survey to understand today's online shopping drivers and found that consumers are not concerned solely about free shipping on purchases, but free return shipping is increasingly at the forefront of their needs. The survey results revealed negative economic consequences for retailers not offering free return shipping with 81% of online shoppers saying they are not likely to make additional purchases from websites that charge shipping on returns and 69% feeling that returning items purchased online is a complicated process. "These results demonstrate a huge opportunity for retailers to increase sales by meeting the increasing consumer demands …"

Every savvy loyalty marketer has mobile marketing, social media and the fiscal cliff on the 2013 radar screen. But, according to a just-released Colloquy report, we are losing sight of the more powerful trends, such as the rise of MomPopolies and Glocalism — which could change the future of marketing.

Marketers who aren't getting ahead of the curve on fast-moving but under-the-radar developments like these might be preparing for the wrong challenges in the year ahead.…

Mass Relevance this week released a new research study that quantifies the impact of social integration on customer engagement, brand preference and purchase intent. The report is the first in a series of studies by Mass Relevance and finds that consumers want to engage with brands that integrate social media and prefer to do business with social brands. "This study proves that people want to engage with a 'social brand' and shows how brands can begin to build social experiences that drive interaction and sales," said Sam Decker, founder and CEO of Mass Relevance. "Through the case studies and data shared in this report, we can see how brands are integrating social experiences

Big data is no longer the exclusive domain of big business. A new 10-year forecast commissioned by Intuit envisions a “new data democracy" where small business owners and consumers make smarter, more informed decisions by gaining access to a wealth of new information. The new report reveals three important trends for consumers and small businesses as big data continues to grow and proliferate. “Big data has long been seen as a big opportunity for big business," said Brad Smith, Intuit president and chief executive officer. “We actually think that the biggest opportunity is giving consumers and small businesses the power of data. We look forward to a new era where big data benefits the little guy …"

Much has been made of the recovering U.S. economy, as the unemployment rate continues to fall and the housing market heats up. However, the upcoming "fiscal cliff" is weighing on the minds of many Americans, which has caused consumer sentiment to drop. According to the Thompson Reuters/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, December's consumer confidence fell to levels not seen in four months, as individuals became wary of the potential for higher taxes following the fiscal cliff. The decline in sentiment could mark a return to bargain shopping, as consumers try to pinch pennies in anticipation of tough times. While this may not be positive news for the economy as a whole, it does stand to benefit discount-oriented companies such as Costco and Walmart …

StrongMail recently announced the results of its 2013 Marketing Trends survey, which provides unique insight into how businesses plan to budget and prioritize marketing dollars in the new year. Respondents identified email marketing, social media and mobile as the most popular channels for receiving increased investment in 2013. The survey results also highlights the importance of managing big data effectively, as data integration is identified as the top email marketing challenge for 2013. "Integration is a top trend for 2013, both in terms of accessing an increasing volume and variety of customer data, and also in integrating messaging across email, mobile, social and other channels. The key to solving both of these problems …"