Mintel in the Media – this week's highlights

First there was the Duchess of Cambridge – formerly Kate Middleton – effect on the British economy and then we commentated on George (Clooney) boosting the sales of coffee pods. Now it appears The Only Way is Essex is making an impact. Indeed, it looks like there is TOWIE mania among younger consumers in the UK as they imitate the TOWIE look boosting sales of fake-everything products, such as fake tans, fake eyelashes and fake nails. The story started as an exclusive interview with our dedicated lifestyle analyst Alexandra Richmond, making the front page of the The Sun. It then appeared in the Daily Mail and it was also featured on Channel 5 News (30th Jan).

Our beauty research also caused a bit of a stir in the UK national newspapers this week. Our data on the colour cosmetics market in the UK was used by The Times (30 Jan) in a piece on budget pampering. In fact, according to Mintel, while lipstick and lip gloss sales rose 16% to £204 million in 2010, nail polish is not far behind with sales rising 14% to £179 million. The Times again used Mintel’s research in a piece on the make-up market in the UK, now worth a total of £1.3 billion. Also on nail care, the Daily Mail used our data on nail polish sales in a piece on beauty salons.

In other beauty news, The Chicago Tribune and The Green Bay Press Gazette quoted data from our Black Haircare US report for stories about an increase in black women wearing their hair in natural styles, resulting in a decline in relaxer kit sales. Next in line, US News & World Report referenced a Mintel study that revealed that women who earn an annual income of $50,000 to $74,000 do not intend to abandon their designer cosmetics routine – a story that was picked up and reprinted on Yahoo! Finance. Meanwhile, NorthJersey.com included our stats about the plus-size women’s clothing market in a piece about an increasing demand for larger size garments. More on beauty, the New Zealand Yahoo! News Finance referenced Mintel in a piece on cosmetic retailing.

Other top stories of the week included the news that Fitness First, the health and fitness club, are replacing their management board as a consequence of a £550 million debt – and as a result Mintel’s data on the market was featured in the Financial Times. In food and drink news, our Senior Drinks Analyst Jonny Forsyth featured live in studio on the decision of AB InBev to play the health card cutting its premium lagers to 4.8% for BBC Radio 4 You & Yours and for the British trade magazine The Grocer.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times Ireland (29 Jan.) used our data to show the growing importance of food provenance among British consumers. Yahoo! News Philippines dedicated a whole piece to our new research on American eating out habits, which shows consumers demand for family midscale restaurants focusing on health and convenience.

Also of note, our latest research on Consumer Attitudes towards Green and Ethical Finance in the UK – which has found that six in ten Brits believe that green and ethical claims by finance companies are just a PR stunt – was featured on The Drum where our Head of Financial Services, Toby Clark, was extensively quoted.

Onto one of our favourite topics, chocolate, our Global Food Analyst and chocolate expert Marcia Mogelonsky gave Monocle Radio an interview about the future of the chocolate industry, while in News Today Marcia said: “Unlike a lot of other foodstuffs chocolate is somewhat recession-resistant. Consumers will turn to chocolate as a reward or a treat. And because there are so many new chocolates coming on the market there’s always something new.” Mintel was also referenced twice by The Scotsman, firstly in a piece on the all-inclusive holiday market, then on the British breakfast habits. The story, which follows our last week press release on the rise of French pasties in the UK, continued to receive good media coverage – being featured on the trade publication World Baker and the Dutch RTL. Meanwhile, the German Berliner Morgenpost used our data on Stevia, the sugar substitute, whose sales figures are expected to reach $2 billion.

And, while only a month has passed since the start of the New Year, there have been already many casualties in the high street retailing, with La Senza and Peacocks facing bankruptcy. Brand Republic discussed the issue in a piece titled “Can media help save the high street?” referencing Mintel’s expertise in the sector.

And the fantastic coverage continued during the week across the globe, with a great article in The Wall Street Journal about US consumers receiving less junk mail last month that used 2011 direct mail figures from Mintel Comperemedia. Additionally, New Hope 360° used our insight into the natural and organic personal care market for a story about children’s personal care products.

This week we also distributed a press release about consumer interest in single-cup coffee machines, based on our recent Coffee Report and quoting beverage expert Garima Goel Lal that got picked up across the US in publications like Beverage Industry, QSR Magazine, Food Business News and FoodNavigatorUSA. In Europe, the story appeared on Reuters, El Economista, Beverage Daily, and Yahoo! in the Philippines. Also of note, Supermarket News used our beverage insight for a story about the energy drinks market – stating that the top three reason people drink energy shots are for wakefulness, mental alertness and an energy boost. More on food and drink, Bloomberg used Mintel’s consumer intelligence on the popularity of Indian food in the US.

Another Mintel analyst who’s a media favorite, Kathy Hayden, was quoted in a Restaurant Management story about the soup market, where she commented that chowders are one of “the most localized recipes in American food ways, and they are an easy way to cross state lines and add some regional tastes to any menu.”

Closing out the week, George Augustaitis, senior transportation and automotive analyst, was sought out by the Houston Chronicle where he discussed January auto sales and Bankrate included a term coined by Andrew Davidson, senior VP of Mintel Comperemedia – “bonus surfer” for a story about consumers who shop around for the best credit card bonus offers.