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Does the American Palate Have a Passport?
Written by Betsy
Tuesday, 30 April 2013 15:50
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Every year, the month of May brings the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show to Chicago. Kairos Consumers looks forward to the four-day show as a source of inspiration when it comes to foodservice trends, several of which routinely come our way for testing in the months that follow.

One topic explored on an annual basis at the NRA show, through not only the diversity of international exhibitors international exhibitors (with the NRA claiming 1,800 from 100+ countries as participants), but also through its range of education sessions and speakers, is the influx of ethnic flavors into even the most mainstream foodservice menus. This year at the NRA will be no exception, with sessions like Ethnic Food Trends: From Niche to Mainstreamamong those likely to expound upon the prevalence of global flavors into the even the fast food dining repertoire. Unquestionably, Latin/Hispanic flavors have long proven popular with U.S. consumers as an everyday menu option.

 
The Dirt on Social Media Analytics
Written by Betsy
Monday, 18 March 2013 12:03
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“Which is the “best” social media analytics company?”

 
There is no argument that this is the top-ranked question asked by our clients nowadays. Before moving on to the answer, I should highlight that our clients are not by and large “social media-savvy". Rather, businesses across diverse sectors realize that social media plays an increasingly important part in quantifying consumer behavior and - perhaps most importantly to many of these individuals - forecasting product performance. I am pretty sure I will disappoint some social media analytics firms with my answer:
 
"There is no ideal analytics platform."
 
Honestly, it all comes down to:
  • What kind of business you have (i.e. agency side or client side/ small-medium-large)
  • What your goals are (i.e. monitoring in real time or performin  historical searches, identifying the momentum or using the searches to identify trends)
  • Most importantly, your budget
A plethora of analytics options exist at present. On top of the current offerings, an abundance of niche but innovative companies are popping up on a monthly basis, some of which receive rave reviews from social media analysts. Kairos Consumers has utilized the platforms of some of the leading social media analytics companies. Additionally, we have reviewed extensively the functionality of numerous other analytics providers. Our usage has truly run the gamut: we have worked with platforms that offer excellent word clouds, sophisticated search filtering, impressive coverage of multiple languages, 24/7 support, user friendly dashboards etc. In the end, we have impressed by a handful of these companies, with certain platforms simply falling short in terms of what was promised. Our experience to date could be measured in terms of three dimensions:
Last Updated on Monday, 18 March 2013 13:28
 
Better than Disney?
Written by Betsy
Wednesday, 07 November 2012 16:49
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I recently read about the “Hello Kitty” endeavor of EVA Air, a Taiwan-based airline, and I should admit that I love the idea! I then showed it to my daughters which was a big mistake … every ten minutes they kept coming to me asking: 

“When can we fly with the “Hello Kitty” airline?”

“Where does it fly to?”

“Can it be a long flight?”

“Is it only for girls?”

“Are daddies and boys allowed there?”

In order to provide meaningful and accurate answers to the questions above, I had to do some further digging about “Hello Kitty” airlines … and here is what I found (Sources 1, 2, 3):

  • The name of the airline is not Hello Kitty but instead officially Eva Air
  • The aircraft are the result of collaboration between the airline and Sanrio, the Japanese company responsible for the brand.
  • Hello Kitty planes are not new: Eva Air has had Hello Kitty-themed jets since 2005, but they debuted new Airbus aircrafts in 2011 and 2012 in celebration of the airline's 20th anniversary
  • The themed planes fly between a multitude of destinations, including Taipei, Fukuoka, Narita, Sapporo, Incheon, Hong Kong and Guam

 

Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 November 2012 22:06
 
Where Next?
Written by Betsy
Wednesday, 10 October 2012 15:18
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Foreign investment in the BRIC markets may have been tempered somewhat by the economic climate, but based on research requests from its clients, Kairos Consumers sees that these markets continue to interest a diverse range of companies. In July 2012, the Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) released a report entitled Business Perspectives on Emerging Markets 2012-2017. The report forecasts that Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) will retain their leading positions as the worlds’ top emerging markets for 2012-2017. The IMF projects growth rates of 3.7% for Brazil and 3.9% for Russia. In contrast, forecasts are 8.5% for China and 7.4% for India. Arguably, domestic consumption and resources in the latter two markets still makes investment attractive, even though growth rates overall are lower. It does not end with the BRICs. Trend spotters and economists alike are quick to shout of the CAPPT, CIVETS or MIST…or simply expound upon the warrants of individual markets themselves. Let’s get a barometer in terms of where investment might go next, based on market performance, forecasts and general buzz.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 November 2012 21:59
 
London Olympics a New Bar for Social Media
Written by Betsy
Tuesday, 10 July 2012 12:13
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Summer 2012 Olympic buzz is well under way. In the consumer arena, much of the talk is revolving around how social media will be used and who will be the best in class. A July 8th Mashable article by Sam Laird takes a concise but entertaining look at 2008 versus 2012 activity levels on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, making the point that Four years is an eternity in Internet time. Clearly, the Olympics in London mean big business in social media terms. But what are those terms, exactly? How will success be quantified? Much has been said about how sponsors, with the U.S. Olympic team sponsors Team USA sponsors including names ranging from Coca-Cola and McDonald’s to one of the 2008 Olympics social media “pace setters”, Nike. As anticipated, budgets exponentially increased in order to develop engaging, relevant content. Likes, Followers and unique visits will shape the story here, separating the winners from the rest of the pack. But beyond the sponsors, attention will gravitate around the athletes themselves.

 
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