WJR Business Beat

Influencer marketing continues to play a more powerful role in marketing as a way to promote and drive sales. But did you know this? A small study recently published in the Journal of Advertising Research indicates the most trusted influencers aren't the two-legged kind. Rather, consumers indicated in the study that the most influential influencers are pets. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compan...

Spring 2025 Outlook report: Fear is keeping American consumers focused on situations of concern. 42% of the database cited healthcare costs, erratic government leadership in the US government, and a recession, 37% rising fuel prices, 35%, cost of living, some 42.5% Even believe the US economy will never return to its normal consumer trends. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm...

Study from Express Legal Funding conducted by SurveyMonkey called How People Use and Trust Chat GPT in 2025. The significance of this is the elevated trust and confidence that users are seeking from ChatGPT in the form of advice that users can be guided by and action taken on as opposed to just being informed of the individuals polled. 60% say they've already sought and followed advice provided on...

Grant Thornton recently conducted a poll of CFOs in this country to find out what big businesses plan to spend on in 2025. Data is from the 226 US Finance Chiefs polled recently. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The banking industry interface between customer and bank continues to move more onto the mobile platform as new data shows a majority of US adults under 35 do their mobile banking, mainly by way of a mobile app associated with their bank. According to September, 2024, data from FICO, 60% of adults aged 18 to 24 and 62% of adults aged 25 to 34. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://...

Sales data released from the American Pet Products Association, Americans are putting their pets first and not cutting back much at all. Big pet supply and pet food giants like Chewy and others had huge years in sales growth in 2024, and the new forecast suggests that the industry should expect continued growth with a 3.2% increase in spending w/ sales expected to rise to $157 billion in total sal...

2025 Digital media trends study just released by Deloitte; social video platforms offer a seemingly endless variety of free content algorithmically optimized for engagement in advertising, and it's working. The report states that it's resulting in social media platforms now drawing over half of all US spending. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

While consumers are driven to go beyond loyalty these days as a result of supply chain issues, inflation, and price sensitivity over the last five years, other reasons for declining loyalty are due in large part to intense competition, as well as increased discounting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

US Census Bureau reports that the threats of tariffs, government shutdowns, and mass firings of government workers have sparked more economic uncertainties for Americans over the past month which has triggered a pullback in consumer spending w/ only a slight increase month over month in February over January. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Is marketing work becoming more marginalized and homogenized? Are we losing touch w/ what it means to be successful with our creative work? In an age when AI is even becoming a creative force in the creation of content in business today, it's important to foster the human element in all of this. One of the hallmarks of small businesses is that they tend to be more creative and more human when doin...

Monica Longoria, head of Marketing Insights at LG Ad Solutions, says this about the study's results. While secondary screens like mobile devices remain integral to shopping and the broader advertising ecosystem, it's clear consumers want more when it comes to TV, and emerging technologies are set to drive this next wave of innovation, eliminating friction and paving the way for a more seamless, in...

Inc 5000 ranks the fastest-growing companies by industry, metro area, revenue, and number of employees, and it also highlights women and minority-run companies. If you've got a fast-growing privately held business, one that can demonstrate dramatic growth over the last three years, you need to apply. The deadline to apply to the Inc 5000 at the preferred rate is next Friday, March 21st at 11:59 PM...

A study from the Kaplan Group makes clear just how popular having a side hustle is. According to the study, 5 it's pet sitting, 4 lawn care, 3 photography, 2 landscaping. And at number one, it's drop shipping. Notably, three of the top five landscaping, lawn care, and pet sitting fall under the category of home services highlighting the continued demand for businesses that enhance the home aesthet...

New data from the S&P Global Mobility Award, shows who's winning at brand loyalty today. General Motors and Tesla at the top, which were recognized as leaders in customer loyalty for 2024. Analysis of over 13.1 million new retail vehicle registrations in the US during the 2024 calendar year highlight the importance of brand loyalty determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to the...

One of the biggest challenges for online companies and those who operate them is that much of the traffic on the web today is driven by bots, not humans. Bots now account for 80% of all web traffic. According to new data just released from Design Rush, meaning only 1 in 5 visitors to the web is human, and that is forcing businesses to rethink their marketing, analytics, and engagement strategies....

As our world becomes more driven in every way by AI, the trend is actually favorable despite current reticence. 38% of shoppers now like the idea of personalized product recommendations made by chatbots. 31% say AI helps them discover new products faster. Large scale adoption of AI purchasing requires a fundamental shift in consumer behavior, and that's just not happening currently and likely won'...

According to Google, its latest connectivity project known as Tara, iss intended to bring fast, affordable connectivity to the world using a new approach to wireless optical communications technology. It uses invisible beams of light to deliver high speed connectivity over long distances. Similar to the way traditional fiber uses light to carry data through cables in the ground, but this requires...

Food products that are trending hot in 2025 based on the new study released by the Specialty Food Association. The Group's Trend Spotter Panel has just completed an evaluation of thousands of new food products and novel flavors. Snacks for dinner have become a big thing in recent years, but this year's entries are more diverse, featuring vegan, high protein, functional, luxurious, and crunchy item...

A Harris poll, found consumers ranked shopping as the activity that gave them the most joy when spending time online with streaming content and interacting with social media ranking second and third respectively. When it comes to online shopping, the data makes clear that driving a more personalized and relevant experience for consumers is critical. Online shoppers are twice as likely to engage wi...

The digital advertising market in the United States closed 2024 on a big high note with ad spending across mobile, desktop, and over the top platforms reaching $34 billion in sales during the fourth quarter. Digital in every way from e-commerce sales to digital advertising continues to show strong growth Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about ou...

Forbes, America's Best large and mid-size employers is now out. Several notable Michigan companies made the list. Employees surveyed were asked if they recommend their employer to others and rate it based on a range of criteria, including salary, work environment, training programs, and opportunities to advance as well. Forbes said research has shown employees have remained relatively steadfast wh...

Today more than 48 million Americans self-identify as black per Pew research. Representing 14.4% of the US population. As reported in TechCrunch, if funding share was in line with population, one would expect companies with a black founder or co-founder to attract more than 14.4% of all funding, given that startups commonly have more than one founder. Darren Dodson, founding partner and managing d...

Nearly half of workers in a cohort surveyed by Pew Research of workers who are currently working from home at least some of the time, say that if their employer no longer allowed them to work from home, they would be unlikely to stay at their current job. Now, this includes 26% of those who say they'd be very unlikely to stay a smaller share, 36% say they'd be likely to stick at their job even if...

Why local marketing and advertising? Local advertising works because of its relevancy. Local campaigns can capitalize on the immediacy of customer intent, leading to a higher conversion rate and more tangible results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wallet Hub released its annual ranking of the best states for starting a new business in the US. Wallet Hub's approach is based on comparing the 50 states across 3 key dimensions. One business environment. Two, access to resources critical to starting a business. And three, the costs of starting a new business. The top 5 states to start a new business in, according to Wallet Hub: Idaho, Texas, Uta...