â–¶ Optimism Up in U.S.: According to results of a new Gallup poll, twice as many Americans think the U.S. economy will be better rather than worse in 2011. Gallup analysis suggests this could represent either the generally optimistic nature of Americans, or it could reflect views of a recovering economy. Poll results include:
• Americans living in the East (52%) and Midwest (56%) are a bit more optimistic about the economic outlook for 2011 versus those living in the South (51%) and West (48%).
• Americans making $75,000 or more in annual income are slightly more optimistic than other Americans, and Democrats are considerably more optimistic than their independent and Republican counterparts.
• Americans are somewhat less positive about their personal economic situations than about the economy more broadly. Forty-four percent think their personal situation will be better in 2011, while 16% think it will be worse.
Source: Gallup
â–¶ Beware of Celebrities: That celebrity spokesperson you’re thinking about hiring may not be as effective as you think—unless she is Oprah. An Ace Metrix study of 2,600 TV ads appearing in 2010 found that just 12% of ads using celebrities exceeded a 10% lift versus average industry norms, and 20% of celebrity ads yielded negative lift scores in excess of 10%. Findings include:
• On average, TV ads starring Oprah generated an average lift of 27%, a spectacular result considering the product she was promoting was insurance, an industry that suffers from a relatively low industry norm.
• While ads starring Oprah took three of the top five slots, Ed Burns for iShares and Carl Weathers for Bud Light took the second and fifth spots, respectively.
• Shock alert: The worst celebrity spokesperson of 2010 was Tiger Woods, led by his endorsement of Nike. Collectively, Woods’ TV ads were 23% less effective than average, and Americans in general, regardless of gender or age, were equally unreceptive to his ads.
• Other lackluster celebrity appearances include Lance Armstrong in Radio Shack ads, Kenny Mayne for Gillette, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stumping for Nationwide Insurance and Donald Trumpfor Macy’s.
Source: Ace Metrix
â–¶ Good Customer Service Proves Elusive: According to a customer service survey conducted by Monster on behalf of Spherion, customer service was second only to price and quality when people decide where to put their money and trust. However, consumers say they haven’t experienced a lot of good customer service. The survey results include:
• Over the past three months, 32% of people have had overall good customer service experiences 80% or more of the time. Most people’s experiences dipped lower, with 23% having good service 60% to 80% of the time and 23% having good service 40% to 6% of the time.
• When people experienced bad service, 69% of them said they would tell a friend about what happened to them. More than half (59%) would tell a company representative, and 37% would post their opinion via social networking such as Facebook or Twitter.
Source: Monster