May 19 MN-Iconoculture
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 19, 2008 -- School may be (nearly) out for summer,
but Kate Muhl and Rob Tregenza, Iconoculture's Transportation/Travel/Leisure
Consumer Strategists, have a lesson for anyone interested in what consumers
are thinking about related to summer vacations. Below are the eight terms to
include in your summer 2008 vacation vocabulary.
1. Fuel EFF!-iciency: As opposed to fuel efficiency, EFF!-iciency is what
your minivan offers in the face of $4 a gallon at the pump. Think we
won't get there? On May 2, the lowest average price per gallon was
$3.39, in Cheyenne, WY, according to Lundberg.
2. Gas Tax Holiday: The other summer break consumers aren't likely to
enjoy. Only missing this break doesn't seem to be bumming out too many
consumers. According to a New York Times/CBS News poll reported May 5,
fully 51% of voters said lifting the gasoline tax for the summer would
be a bad idea and 70% said candidates are proposing the holiday only
because they think it'll help them get votes.
3. SUV: Short for "Sadly, Unpaid Vehicle." Credit crunch plus sky-high
pump prices have consumers wishing they'd never bought the big ride,
but they're also powerless to get rid of it. As one used-car dealer in
Florida who stopped taking SUV trades six months ago told the AP, "The
truth is, more and more dealers are staying away from used SUVs and
large trucks ... It doesn't pay. You can't have a unit sitting on the
lot forever."
4. Staycation: Vacations without vacating, staycations are what's in store
for consumers dealing with their vehicle's fuel EFF!-iciency. Even
Consumer Reports (on its Home and Garden blog) is offering advice on
how to take one.
5. Road Gypped: How discovery-loving travelers will feel after a
staycation. Consumers feel a deep entitlement to hitting the road
during the summer. Members of Iconoculture's online consumer panel,
IconoCommunities
(http://www.iconoculture.com/ProductsServices/IconoCommunities/index.aspx),
confirmed what we're seeing in the larger culture: For Americans,
capital-V Vacation is practically an inalienable right.
6. Home Game: Staycationers are reaching out to fellow homesteaders and
local experts for ideas about how to get the most out vacationing in
place. See how it's played on BabyCenter's MOMformation blog or local
family activity sites like Dancing Meatballs.
7. Away Game: Of course, plenty of consumers will hit the road this
summer. But vehicle- and people-fuel (a.k.a. food) costs will have them
playing price-control whack-a-mole as they go. Watch for serious scrimp
'n' splurge behavior -- with the splurges looking less "splurge-y" than
in summers past.
8. I-Scream (you scream, we all scream ... ): What happens in the grocery
store checkout line when they ring up that iconic frozen treat of
summer, or, really, any dairy product. In greater Philadelphia,
Iconoculture reports that at a local food store, the sticker price for
a container of Edy's has remained constant, but the size of the
container recently shrank from 1.75L to 1.5L.
Kate Muhl
(http://www.iconoculture.com/ProductsServices/AdvisoryServices/Strategists/Bio
s/Index.aspx?StrategistID=2070), Sr. Director, Consumer Strategist,
Transportation/Travel/Leisure, is a consumer trend expert on business and
blended travel; "blend" family values; leisure time; and the many modes of
transportation. Her previous experience includes senior editor at AAA World,
a bimonthly travel and automotive-themed magazine.
Rob Tregenza
(http://www.iconoculture.com/ProductsServices/AdvisoryServices/Strategists/Bio
s/Index.aspx?StrategistID=2086), VP, Consumer Strategist,
Transportation/Travel/Leisure, is a consumer trend expert on transportation,
sports and fitness. His previous experience includes time at Lear Corporation,
where he crafted consumer insights for all major domestic, European and Asian
OEMs, finetuned advanced product development and developed strategic marketing
communications and research initiatives for Lear Technologies.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SET UP A BRIEFING, CONTACT
Laura Ackerman
Kel & Partners
Office: 508.366.2099, ext. 125
Cell: 508.259.7640
laura@kelandpartners.com
ABOUT ICONOCULTURE
Iconoculture, a cultural trend research company, is the voice of cultural
trends -- illuminating not only what's important to consumers worldwide, but
also why it's happening and where it's heading. In order for companies to
seize opportunities for developing products, services and messages, they need
the inside story that's driving consumer behaviors and cultural trends.
Iconoculture's perspective provides more actionable ideas to Fortune 1000
corporations and agencies, enabling companies to become warriors for their
brands. In 2007, Inc. Magazine ranked Iconoculture as one of the top
fastest-growing private companies in the nation. For more information, contact
Iconoculture at 1-877-366-0087 or visit us at http://www.iconoculture.com.
SOURCE Iconoculture
