A survey by Mintel revealed 27% of respondents who think food with added fiber usually has an unpleasant taste. Despite the health benefits, a minority of adults are likely to be interested in fiber-enhanced products. One in three respondents considered their diet to be healthy, but only one in five reported actively looking for and buying products with added health claims.

“Many people have negative perceptions about the taste of fiber,” says Molly Heyl-Rushmer, senior health and wellness analyst at Mintel. “The taste deters them from eating a fiber-added product that has numerous health benefits.”

Despite the encompassing proven health benefits of fiber, twenty-five percent of respondents think fiber is only necessary for those who suffer from irregularity or other digestive problems, with men being more likely than women to hold this belief.

The research shows a disturbing cancer related fact; even though a lack of fiber is linked to various cancers, heart disease and diabetes, 22% of consumers don’t know enough about fiber to know if it is important to their health.

“Consumers are more likely to report limiting sugar, fat, sodium, and calorie intake than they are to eat naturally fiber-rich foods,” notes Molly Heyl-Rushmer. “Adults don’t fully understand the link between fiber and health.”

“The way men view fiber is a considerable obstacle for marketers to overcome,” adds Molly Heyl-Rushmer. She believes utilizing “macho” spokesmen in commercial advertising to gently poke fun at these false beliefs, and convince men they’re incorrect could be a successful marketing tool.

The study can be accessed on Mintel’s website at http://www.mintel.com or you can follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mintelnews.

Lieffel Mikin, Contributing Author, HowToMarketYourBusinessNow.com

Recent research reveals consumers in UK and US recognize social networking as Entertainment. A study by Edelman (the world’s largest independent PR agency) is showing consumers believe social networks provide a higher value experience compared with other forms of entertainment.

Edelman’s annual Trust in the Entertainment Industry surveyed 1,000 18-54 year olds in the United States and United Kingdom to better understand issues influencing consumer trust in entertainment companies. In the US, the rise of the internet as a frequent source of entertainment is most noticeable in the 18-34 group, rising from 27 percent in 2009 to 42 percent in 2010. Also 32 percent of 18-54 year olds look most frequently to the web for entertainment (compared with 58 percent watching TV). In the UK the internet also ranked second in the UK, with 30 percent turning to the web most frequently, compared with 57 percent watching TV.

The study shows 73% of 18-24 year olds in the US consider social networks as a form of “social entertainment” compared to 61% in the UK. Fifty percent (US) and 56 percent (UK) of respondents aged 35-49 also consider social networking sites as a form of entertainment.

Despite the growth of social networks and entertainment, consumers do not currently identify Internet brands as entertainment companies.

The majority of respondents in both the UK and US felt social networking is providing better value than music, gaming and television companies are.

Gail Becker, President of Edelman’s Western region comments, “While not surprising that TV tops the list, seeing the internet rank second as a source of entertainment – evolving from its origins as a source of information – is significant. We believe that all companies today exist in this new era that we call social entertainment and we will continue to see its influence on how consumers and companies engage with entertainment and with each other.”

Personal information was shown to still lead social networker’s concerns with 89% of them saying they would not be willing to give up personal information to access free entertainment.

Jonathan Hargreaves, Managing Director of Technology, Edelman, Europe adds: “The study shows that consumers do value privacy but perhaps they are not considering the personal information that they already distribute freely via social networks. Social entertainment impacts the role of privacy – both in how individuals behave online but also in terms of how entertainment companies use customer information. This new era has created a shift in the trust dynamic and businesses must consider the implications of this in order to nurture future trust in a brand.”

Despite this move towards social entertainment, spending on entertainment continues to stay strong according to studies recent results.

On average, US respondents spend $47 per month (UK spends GBP25/month) on entertainment content, with ease of purchase being a dominating factor.

In the UK consumers who think social networking is a form of entertainment are more likely to have spent more money on entertainment.

Further information on this survey can be found at: http://www.thenakedpheasant.wordpress.com

Nora Whithers, Contributing Author, HowToMarketYourBusinessNow.com

In a recent survey, Zillow.com revealed while the majority of markets continue to decline, homeowners across the country had mixed opinions of the state of their own homes’ values.

The Q1 Homeowner Confidence Survey revealed nationally, homeowners were overconfident, with 50% believing their home’s value declined in the past year. In reality, 65 percent of U.S. homes declined in value.

The survey also showed 7 percent of homeowners (5.3 million homes)(3), said they would be “very likely” to put their home on the market in the next 12 months if they see signs of the housing market improving.

By comparison, 5.2 million existing homes were sold during 2009.

An additional 8 percent said they would be “likely” to put their home on the market.

Another 14 percent said they would be “somewhat likely.” This represents “sidelined sellers” which could significantly delay timing of a market recovery .

In contrast, the most pessimistic homeowners reside in the West even though the home values in many California and Colorado cities have stabilized over the past year Zillow’s report revealed.

“It is clear that there is a lag between market realities and public perceptions of home values. For quite a while after the market peak, Western homeowners continued to believe their own homes’ values were doing better than they were in reality,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. “Conversely, after years of press coverage about declining home values, homeowner perceptions are now in line with market conditions from early last year, although the Western market has improved since then.”

Zillow is an online real estate marketplace where homeowners can value their property. You can access your properties estimated value at http://www.zillow.com/

John Adams, Editor in Chief, HowToMarketYourBusinessNow.com

The ratio is projected to climb rapidly from 22 (per 100 of working age) in 2010 to 35 in 2030. This time period coincides with the time when baby boomers are moving into the 65 and older age category. It is projected that the ratio will slow after 2030 to around 37 per 100 people ages 20 to 64.

The projections are not based on 2010 Census results. Rather, they project 2000 Census counts forward using components of population change — births, deaths and net international migration.

“This rapid growth of the older population may present challenges in the next two decades,” said Victoria Velkoff, assistant chief for estimates and projections for the Census Bureau’s Population Division.

He continues, “It’s also noteworthy that those 85 and older — who often require additional caregiving and support — would increase from about 14 percent of the older population today to 21 percent in 2050.”

According to the same report, minorities are projected to comprise 42 percent of the 65 and older population in 2050. This is over double the proportion they comprise today (20 percent).

The findings are contained in the report, “The Next Four Decades: The Older Population in the United States: 2010 to 2050,” which can be viewed in PDF format at:

www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p25-1138.pdf

Contributing Author
Ashley Brown-Kerr, HowToMarketYourBusinessNow.com