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Americans Don’t Trust Mass Media

20 Sep

Yes, the mass media have been criticized in many quarters for their coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign. But the issue of trust goes far beyond political coverage. It deals more directly with the competition from nontraditional media that has led to (1) more “got you” stories, (2) the quest to be first with a story even if not certain about the facts, (3) the focus on headlines more than content, and much more.

According to a new survey by Gallup:

In 2016, “Americans’ trust and confidence in the mass media ‘to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly’ has dropped to its lowest level in Gallup polling history, with 32% saying they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. This is down eight percentage points from last year.”

Gallup began asking about media trust in 1972, and on a yearly basis since 1997. Over the history of the entire trend, Americans’ trust and confidence hit its highest point in 1976, at 72%, in the wake of widely lauded examples of investigative journalism regarding Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. After staying in the low to mid-50s through the late 1990s and into the early years of the new century, Americans’ trust in the media has fallen slowly and steadily. It has consistently been below a majority level since 2007.”

 
Click the chart to read more.

 

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Big Leap for Digital Ads

19 Sep

As we know, digital advertising has seen strong growth in recent years — at the expense of more traditional media. This year marks another milestone as digital advertising surpasses TV advertising in the United States. And as of 2020, digital will far outpace TV advertising.

eMarketer reports that:

“It’s no secret advertisers are flocking to digital at the expense of traditional formats. But the latest data show the shift accelerating faster than expected in the United States. According to eMarketer’s latest ad spending forecast, digital will overtake TV ad spending this year for the first time. eMarketer had forecast in March that the shift would not happen until next year.”

“By the end of this year, U.S. digital ad spending will reach $72.09 billion, while TV spending will grow to $71.29 billion. That means digital will represent 36.8% of US total media ad spending, while TV will represent 36.4%. ‘Digital advertising is not only pulling dollars from traditional media, but it’s also creating new advertising opportunities at the local and national level,’ said eMarketer forecasting analyst Martín Utreras.”

 
Click the chart to read more.


 

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What We Earn by Age, Gender, and Race

15 Sep

In theory, our earnings should rise as we acquire more experience in the workplace (and, hence, get older 🙂 ). In practice, is this true?

According to a recent study by CreditRepair.com,

“Wondering which demographics earn the most, or how your salary stacks up against others in your state? Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s figures, we broke down income data to find trends by age, race, gender, education, and region – and the results may reshape the way many look at earning potential in America.”

“The first myth to dispel is that wealth is reserved for those near the end of their careers, after they’ve climbed their way to the top of the corporate ladder. In reality, median incomes were highest for both men and women between 35 and 44 (with the 45–54 group running close behind) – reinforcing other research that shows men’s salary typically peaks at 48, while women’s tops out nearly a decade earlier at age 39.”

“It’s also around this time, however, that people are at their least content in life; people aged 40 to 59 are the most miserable on average. Nearly one-third of people in their 40s and 50s contemplate significant career changes that will give them better work-life balance, which may explain why the median income drops for the workforce at age 55 and older.”

 
Take a look at two infographics from CreditRepair.com and reach your own conclusions.


 

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2016 Most Attractive Employers According to U.S. Students

12 Sep

Each year, Universum publishes the results of its extensive surveys in various fields and countries/regions. This post covers Universum’s 2016 survey of more than 72,000 U.S. students (more than 20,000 business majors) at 359 universities and colleges about the most attractive employers for those interested in business careers.

For job candidates, the benefits of these surveys is obvious. But they are also essential for potential employers too. According to Universum:

“Today’s businesses operate in a highly competitive employment landscape, and you can gain valuable insight into how your organization is perceived by tomorrow’s workforce with the results of Universum’s 2016 Most Attractive Employers ranking based on student talent in the USA.”

Here are the top most attractive employees, based on Universum’s U.S. survey. [Number 10 is an especially interesting choice]:

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Remembering 9/11/01

11 Sep

It has now been 15 years since one of the worst days in American history — a tragedy that many of us will remember forever. On this anniversary, it is a good time to reflect.

Each year on this date, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum has a “Tribute in Light”. This is

“an [iconic] art installation that is produced annually in New York on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Tribute in Light illuminates the New York City sky just south of the Memorial site. On 9/11, the 9/11 Memorial plaza is open to the public from 3 p.m. to midnight for the viewing of Tribute in Light.”


 
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum also has available online multimedia information about an incredible exhibit called “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11.” Click on the preceding link to see the summary.

If you click on this link, you can see a video clip about one of the works of art. It is very moving. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum says the following about the clip:

“Papers, letters, business forms, and personal notes flutter through the air in this film by the creative collective, Blue Man Group. Inspired by the scraps of paper that blew from the World Trade Center into the yard of their rehearsal space in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, the members of Blue Man Group wrote the song, “Exhibit 13,” featuring spoken recitations of the papers’ contents, and created the accompanying video, both named after one of the scorched pieces of paper they found. Blue Man Group members Chris Wink, Matt Goldman,and Phil Stanton are New York residents and were in various locations in Manhattan on 9/11. The performance group is based in New York.”

 

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How Effective Are Social Media?

9 Sep

With virtually every large company — and many mid-sized and small firms — now involved with social media in some question, one of the big challenges that remains is: How can we measure the effectiveness of social media? Yes, we can rather easily track the number of likes we get and generate reports on comments at social media sites. But how can we measure return on investment (ROI)?

To help address the effectiveness of social media, Duke’s Fuqua School of Business recently conducted a study of chief marketing officers (CMOs) at a number of companies.

As reported by eMarketer:

“Social media ad spending continues to grow in the U.S., with eMarketer forecasting the format will make up more than 20% of digital ad spending by 2017. Yet even as marketers’ social media budgets increase, many are still struggling to make sense of its overall impact on their business.”
 
“Based on an August survey of U.S.-based CMOs by Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, executives from across the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors are still figuring out how to gauge the true effect of social media on their business. The problem is more pronounced for those in the B2B sector, where nearly half of respondents haven’t yet been able to show the impact of social media. Many in the B2C sector have had better luck showing the qualitative impact of social, although 60% or more of CMOs still they did not know the channel’s quantitative impact.
 
Take a look at the two charts on the Duke study from eMarketer. See what CMOs say their companies are doing to assess social media effectiveness.
 

 


 

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What Generation Has the Best Future in Entrepreneurship?

8 Sep

As we noted in a prior post, according to the Pew Research Research Institute: “Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, according to population estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Millennials, whom we define as those ages 18-34 in 2015, now number 75.4 million, surpassing the 74.9 million Baby Boomers (ages 51-69). And Generation X (ages 35-50 in 2015) is projected to pass the Boomers in population by 2028.”

So, given the huge size of the Millennial generation, what are its prospects for producing successful entrepreneurs?

Bob Horton reports for Online MBA Page that:

“Millennials may end up being the greatest entrepreneurial generation ever. Just think about it for a moment.”

“Digital natives have the upper hand in our tech centered world. The on-demand, plugged-in, Millennial generation is influenced differently than previous generations and molded by global happenings in real-time. Smartphones have provided improved tech resources over the last 10 years. Ready-made distribution platforms allow for quick tests of ideas, e.g., Etsy, Ebay, and Amazon. ‘Crowdfunding’ has enabled entrepreneurs to raise capital from online sources, rather than relying on traditional sources like banks to grow their business.”

“Independence is more important than a corner office. 67% of Millennials report their goals involve starting their own business. Only 13% report their career goal is to climb the corporate ladder to become CEO/president. Creative freedom is the key to real happiness. Since 1985, entrepreneurship classes on the university level have increased 20X, so educational exposure is at an all time high for Millennials.”

“Collaboration and coming together around great ideas rocks. Making a difference in the world is HUGE. 79% of Millennial employees who volunteered through a com­pany-sponsored initiative felt they made a positive impact. 57% of Millennial employees want company-wide volunteer opportunities. There is purpose over profit.”

 

Do Millennials Make The Best Entrepreneurs? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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