Pack your stockings and mistletoe (and skis!). Sure Christmas is only two months away and holiday hot spots are normally booked solid by now. But the recent Wall Street meltdown (and continued global financial turmoil) is turning into something of a last-minute gift to bargain-seeking vacationers who have yet to make holiday travel plans. Offers from the Caribbean to the Colorado Rockies abound. Travelocity.com is offering what it says is the biggest sale in the company’s history. The market crash has made some travelers skittish about spending all that money on a vacation. Bjorn Hanson, an associate professor at the Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University, says that holiday bookings are down around 10 to 15 percent so far versus this time last year. And 66 percent of respondents to a recent poll by Travelocity.com said concerns about the economy would affect their holiday travel plans. “We’re starting to see the market react, and there is tremendous value out there,” said John Monahan, president of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. And for travelers looking for an escape from their financial worries, he added, Hawaii “always had a reputation of being a place people can get away from it all.” Aloha and Cowabunga.  (more….)

In an economic climate in which buying a handbag with a four- or five-digit price tag is starting to seem gauche, the free-spending style hounds formerly known as “fashionistas” are rebranding themselves. Welcome to “recession chic” and its personification, the “recessionista,” the new name for the style maven on a budget. The use of the word recessionista is “making light of a situation that isn’t so favorable for the consumer-driven industries of our nation, spinning it … and delivering a luring message to the masses — PR 101 ladies and gentlemen,” wrote Heather Viggiani on the blog of a public relations firm where she works part-time. Derek Blasberg wrote this summer on style.com: “You should know that while the fashionista may have locked herself in the vault with her tiaras, her younger, hipper sister — recessionista — is at the mall finding designer threads (or diffusion designer threads) at discount prices. Look for her at Target, Uniqlo, Payless or Kohl’s, all of whom have inked deals with designers recently. That’s because recessionistas aren’t letting a little thing like falling stock prices and rising gas bills get in the way of their wardrobe.”  (more…)

Dunkin’ Donuts is taking on Starbucks with a new campaign claiming it beats the java giant on taste. Backing the claim with a company-commissioned “independent taste test,” Dunkin has begun a round of broadcast spots championing the results. Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, applauded the Dunkin’ strategy, calling taste tests a tactic that has engaged consumers “since the dawn of time.” ”[Dunkin’ has] spent a good deal of time developing brand strategies having to do with quality and certainly with service, and certainly it’s just implicit that they’ve got the price nailed pretty well. This kind of closes the loop for them,” he said. “For the people who said, ‘Well, the service is OK and I have to pay three times that at Starbucks, but I like the taste,’ this is an answer to that.” The dedicated microsite DunkinBeatStarbucks.com pokes fun at Starbucks and provides an opportunity for the campaign to take on a life of its’ own. I know it might seem like I am picking on poor Starbucks but I find their lack of brand equity tending stunning as they continue to pay the price for arrogance and ineptitude. Now off to my local DD — I’ll take a large coffee with 2% milk no sugar please.  (more….)

As economies continues to tighten globally, one trend is emerging to bypass the ups and downs with a new currency– perkonomics. Everybody loves an upgrade, because everybody loves to feel special, to feel important – more important, specifically, than the person sitting behind them. Perkonomics is the icing on the cake of life. Banks, airlines and credit card companies have rewarded loyal customers with goodies for generations, but “perkonomics”, according to the analysts of trendwatching.com – who coined the term – is now a movement: “a new breed of perks and privileges, added to brands’ regular offerings, [and] satisfying consumers’ ever-growing desire for novel forms of status and/or convenience, across all industries.”  (more…)

Turns out a family that texts together, stays together. Or at least it stays in touch better. Today’s families with minor children are much more likely than any other household types to have cellphones and use the Internet, a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports today. ”It used to be in the old Dick and Jane days, husbands went off to work, wives went off to a different job or else stayed home and the kids went off to school,” says study co-author Barry Wellman, professor at the University of Toronto. “And not until 5:30, 6 o’clock did they ever connect.” But now husbands e-mail wives. Daughters call moms. Sons e-mail parents. ”There’s a new kind of connectedness being built inside of families with these technologies,” says Lee Rainey, director of the project. In case you have no clue what a spouse, child, or significant other might text you, you can always reference the webopedia – a comprehensive dictionary of text messages. JTLYK JIC G2G TTFN  (more…)

As I sat with my husband at the nearly empty Phillips Arena this week watching the Thrashers get a thrashing, I thought to myself, “Does this feel like a good way to spend $200?” The answer was a resounding no. The Thrashers, like many professional sports teams, have continued to raise prices sky high during the economic good times. Now, that’s looking like a pretty precarious position to be in. At a time when many professional and college sports teams are expanding stadiums, adding expensive luxury suites and raising ticket prices to increase revenue, the economic crisis is exacerbating a disconnect between the teams and fans who are being priced out of live sports. Cash-strapped fans nationwide tell USA TODAY they’re buying fewer tickets to sporting events or trying to unload those they have to family, friends and strangers. Some are opting for cheaper seats and spending less on food, drinks and souvenirs. Others are giving up live sports for their high-definition TVs. Teams across all major league sports as well as NASCAR are now struggling to bring down costs as they offer discounts on seats to stop the attendance bleeding. I’d consider keeping my Thrasher tickets if they could get some decent defense, some explosive offensive, and a real coach. A girl can still dream, can’t she?  (more…)

Wealthy Americans are rubbing shoulders with the masses in low-end retailers such as Costco Wholesale as the financial crisis forces cutbacks in discretionary spending, said Jim Taylor, vice chairman of Harrison Group, a Connecticut-based marketing and research consulting firm. Although the trend had emerged earlier, the financial crisis is accelerating it, Taylor said. Discount stores like Costco or the Sam’s Club unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc are also offering deals and merchandise to attract the affluent, he added. I’ll take a Northface jacket with that 30 roll pack of paper towels please. (more…)

Steve Jobs ability to avoid cutting margin on the new Mac offerrings is the payback from years of building an enviable brand equity backed by product performance. ”People come into Apple stores expecting to pay a certain amount,” Stephen Baker of NPD says. “There’s no evidence that customers are particularly asking for a $799 Mac. But if you offered it to them, many of them would make that choice. One of the reasons Apple does so well at selling $1,000 computers is that they don’t give you the choice of a $799 model.” So far, there’s little evidence to suggest that U.S. consumers are getting thrifty when it comes to consumer electronics, says Baker of NPD. Three of the best-selling categories—digital SLR cameras, LCD televisions, and laptops—are “also among the most expensive products you can buy,” he notes. “And sales of all three have continued to grow throughout 2008.” Jobs hopes the trend continues well into the new year.  (more…)

Yes, that mush your grandma pushed on you as a child is shaping up as the company’s most successful food launch of all time. Within just a few weeks — and despite unseasonably warm weather in many markets — oatmeal has become the best-selling food item throughout Starbucks’ entire system, knocking reduced-calorie coffee cake from the top spot. Okay, so given the dismal performance of their food anything edible would be an improvement but it does seem like Starbucks has a winner on their hands. Most surprising is who is buying it. Many women are big oatmeal eaters — they are usually 6% more likely than men their age to consume it — and they eat more when they get older, said NPD Group VP Harry Balzer. About a quarter of women 18 to 34 dish up oatmeal every two weeks, but that number nearly doubles to 46% by age 65. Taking a page out of the playbook of food manufacturers, Starbucks is obviously watching grocery trends and targeting health-conscious women who would normally bring a packet of oatmeal to work. The coffee chain’s instant product is served in a cup with a special vented lid, and customers are given a choice of brown sugar, nuts and dried fruit toppings. There may still be hope for Starbucks after all. Who knew?  (more….)

Purchased the new Flip! video recorder for a project and it is my new obsession. This tiny wonder makes sensational videos yet is small enough to fit in your pocket. The design includes a built-in USB so all you do is plug it directly into your computer to upload quality videos. It is simple enough for a 5 year old (all 8 year olds are technical whizzes now so you have to go younger) or an 85 year old. The price point is extremely reasonable given the quality and convenience. Biggest issue? Keeping the kids and husband from stealing my new Flip!.