What’s stressing consumers out? New research from the Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI) is examining this situation on a quarterly basis. Its inaugural report for Q4 2023 revealed some seriously high stress, which is hardly uncommon for the crazy holiday season. And a...
High concern revealed worldwide over misinformation and its potential impact on elections
The 2020 American presidential election was a wake-up call for the kinds of things that can go wrong with modern voting. Ballot tampering or other misbehavior doesn’t seem too unrealistic, and whether it happens or not, it now (I guess) creates the possibility for a...
Comms pros speak out on AI’s biggest challenges, saying the greatest obstacles to comms digitalization are human, not technical
Like the rest of the business world, marketing and PR leaders have been busily attempting to get AI incorporated into their operations so they can enjoy the productivity benefits that the tech has been dangling before them. But in this fast-moving effort, many are...
Taking stock with teens: Longstanding study of Gen Z teens offers insights into the sector’s spending trends in a variety of retail categories
Teenagers have always been a tough crowd to market to, but never as complicated as today’s Gen Z batch, the most digital-savvy, highly informed group yet. But if any research group has developed an understanding of the year-to-year patterns of teens, it’s investment...
The state of generative AI today: New status report offers five priorities for organizational readiness on the road to revolution
Generative AI is the future of business, as we know. Its vast potential promises to redefine the contours of innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage. But are brands and businesses ready? New research from business consultancy Guidehouse and CDO Magazine...
AI efficiency isn’t the end goal for data modernization: Senior data and tech leaders say better decision-making is the primary aim
Many brands and businesses are putting all their eggs in the AI-mastery basket, thinking once their skillsets are firmed up and data quality and productivity improve, then all the promises of AI will be revealed and everything else will fall into place. Well, it sure...
Sustainability mandate intensifies for US brands: Consumers are severing relationships with those that aren’t prioritizing eco-practices
Brands and businesses that assume sustainability is just a “best case scenario” for consumers, but not a significant factor in purchasing, are not paying enough attention—consumers have been clear about the importance of green practices for the brands they choose to...
Women in industry: Gender disparity in cybersecurity explored in new research
The bleak truth is that no industry is safe from gender disparity, even in these progressive times, but it’s not necessarily clear what the core causes are of these situations (besides good ‘ol antiquated thinking, of course). But eye-opening new research from tech...
7 ways digital assistants are changing the media outreach game
In the landscape of public relations, digital assistants have emerged as game-changers. For media outreach professionals, understanding and leveraging these tools is no longer optional but essential. These sophisticated aids streamline processes, personalize pitches,...
Consumer data shortfalls now the biggest obstacles to AI performance: Most spend more on personalized CX, but few brands are capable
As dynamic as AI’s impact on business has been, the wunderkind tech can only perform as well as the available data will allow—and this is the pain point companies are facing at this stage of the AI game. New research from customer engagement platform Twilio reveals...
Today’s leaders in focus: Tips for developing effective people management skills
For business leaders today, developing effective people management skills is essential to help keep your business ahead of its competition. A good manager looks after the interests of the company as well as its personnel, wearing many hats to care for many things....
The untapped potential of first-party behavioral data: 3 in 4 marketers say collecting it is critical, but less than half are currently doing so
Brands and businesses are endlessly trying to figure out how to gain visibility into customer engagement and grow customer lifetime value, and marketers know that being able to collect meaningful behavioral data and derive insights from it is critical to optimizing...