End User: Geographics consumer expenditures

From this graph as you can see from Jan of 1958 through Jan. of 1968 there is a decline in consumer expenditures due to the conflict in Vietnam. But starting in around the 1980's we see an incline in consumer expenditures as a percent of gross domestic product.

http://www.census.gov/statab/www/img/expends.gif

This graph shows how consumer expenditures in 1992 realted to every day life needs compared to other items. Only 27% of total expenditures compared to 73% of necessity items. This means that out of the average $29,846 expenditure only $8058.42 can be spent on other items.

http://www.bls.gov/cex/1992/share/region.pdf

This link will take you to the Bureau of Labor Statistics where it shows a graph of consumer expenditures by region in the year 1992.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D6103EF937A25752C1A964958260&scp=8&sq=consumer%20expenditures%201992&st=cse

This link takes you to an aricle which talks about how bond prices are falling due to an increase in retail sales and how this affects the economy in 1992

1992 Behavioral Elements

Shopping Behavior
- Mall of America opened in 1992 in Minnesota

- Americas largest mall spreading over 78 acres(APCTH)

- Toy Sales were increased to 15 billion dollars in 1993, showing us that there was less disposable income in

--> Analysis: With less disposable income, mall developers and store owners needed to think of a way to not only sell their products, but attract patrons as well. Less disposable income means less money to use on shopping. The mall of America was a great innovation because a shopper is more willing to travel and shop at a mall that is an architectural achievement as well. Any patron can get there shopping done all in one place and see all of the attractions the mall has to offer. A mall of this size has something for everyone. The mall is four stories high and is complete with an amusement park. For an average family that might not have as much disposable income as they used to the Mall of America can be a very cost efficient way to spend a day. The Mall of America is the definition of one stop shopping, which attracted people from all around.


Technology Advancements
- Internet made public in 1992, use throughout the decade increases exponentially

- “The increase in the internet during the decade was staggering. Largely made public in 1992…” (APCTH)

- Id software a videogame company founded by John Romero begins business and creates the first ever first-person shooter video game Wolfstein 3D. (APCTH)

- Video games became more popular and started consuming more time. In 1992, Sega released first CD Driven consol “early step in technology that would revolutionize not only electronic games, but computer operations in general.” (APCTH)

- First video telephone produced by AT & T for $1,499 http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1992.html

-->Analysis: Internet was with out a doubt the year’s most influential innovation. This display of forward thinking was just a sign of what the future would hold. In my opinion the internet is one of the most notable behavioral changes in 1992. Information that was hard to dig for became right at the fingertips of many businesses and families. Technological advancements in the videogame industry brought out the inner fantasy. People can now play interactive shooting games from their homes. The first video telephone is just another sample of the communication gap closing throughout the world.


Family Time
- High school drop out rate of less than 6% (APCTH)

- $1.05 for gas, road trips are popular http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1992.html

- More concerned about health, first nicotine patch is created to help stop smoking. People began to do more outdoor activities: hiking, camping, and backpacking.

- Sportswear became more easily accessible and more fashionable

-->Analysis: The high school drop out rate shows us how important education was, and how determined the average family was to graduate their children. This family bond of 1992 can also be seen with road trips. A road trip brings families together during this time.
Gas prices also allows for more outdoor adventure. Outdoor sportswear is more accessible and fashionable. This advancement give people who our outdoor enthusiasts a more practical clothing option. The advancement of health and the family staying together is also seen with the creation of a nicotine patch. People realize smoking can cause disease and want to keep themselves healthy for their family.

Activities
- Georgia Superdome in Atlanta, Georgia is completed. The dome has the worlds largest cable supported fabric roof. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1992.html

- Tae-Bo was created as a new, and foreign way to exercise, and began with only a few followers

- In television, Real World debuted and became one of the longest running reality TV shows, now on its 21st season (APCTH)

-->Analysis: Based on the out-of-the-box advancements in 1992, such as Tae Bo, the internet, and the Real World, you can tell that people began to try new things during this year. Although Tae bo would have been deemed weird before, people began to dip their feet in the water and attempt new and exciting ways to see the world.

Internet Sources Used:

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/1992/
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/i_love_the_90s/76714/episode_about.jhtml
http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/NATIONAL/Inputout/1998/0798ied.pdf
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/92result.html
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1992.html
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US7/REF/popsport.html

Books Used:
“American Popular Culture Through History: The 1900’s.” Oxoby, Marc.

Academy Awards Powersuit

Power suits were very big in the 1980’s because of the transformation of the role of women, Shoulder pads were everywhere. By the early 1990’s the tailored suit had began to tone down a bit with softer fabrics. Designers began to lessen the intensity of the shoulder pad. The line of the suit also changed as well and instead of following a masculine rigid line it followed the curves of the female body. Celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg helped to instigate this style. Her masculine style with a dollop of femininity became very popular. Some women even started going to men’s shops for this look. This video is from the Academy Awards and you can see the power suit not only on Whoopi but also on other guests in the surroundings. Whoopi had won an academy award the previous year and returned to crown the new winner. Events like this with such large publicity, definitely gave a key role into promoting many of the trends including the power suit.


Acquired Source: History of the 20th Century, Elizabeth Ewing, Costume and Fashion Press, New York, NY; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17dYIDqy0Do

Psychology

Color and the Election
There are many different meanings of colors and during elections what the candidates are wearing is just as important as what they are saying. Here is a list of colors from colormarketing.org that describes what the colors meanings are to voters.

Blue – It’s no accident that you see more blue ties than any other color. Blue is calming and reassuring. It lowers the blood pressure and pulse. Dependable, cool, constant, unwavering and supporting, blue is the color that says: "You can trust me."
Red – Red has the greatest emotional impact. It increases the pulse and blood pressure and heart rate. It conveys excitement, passion, alertness, and confidence. It’s dynamic and forceful. Most of all, red says: "I am powerful."
Yellow – The color of the sun is cheerful, upbeat, and also conveys intellectual properties and enlightenment. Yellow says: "I’m warm and friendly."
Orange – The hottest color conveys strength and endurance. It’s friendly. Lighter shades are calming; brighter shades are exuberant. Orange also says: "I’m warm."
Green – The color of nature and serenity, green is refreshing, reassuring, life-enhancing. It also signifies health. These days, green says: "I care about the environment."
Purple – Once the color of royalty (because it was so rare) purple suggests individuality and creativity. Lighter shades suggest spirituality. Purple says: "I’m a unique person."
Pink – No longer worn only by women. On a male candidate, pink says, "I’m self-assured."
Brown – Once considered too informal for the White House, brown came into it's own when Ronald Regan wore it. Today, the color of espresso coffee and fine chocolates sends a message that is both understated and robust. Brown says: "I'm serious, but down-to-earth, and approachable."

In the 1992 election the three candidates were seen with their wives who were also influential with their color choices.

Here Bill Clinton is saying that hes powerful with his red tie. His wife is saying she is self-assured with her bright pink suit.

George H.W. Bush and wife are both wearing red saying that they are powerful. It also seems that Bush's tie may have some blue in it, which would say that he can be trusted.

Ross Perot and Wife are saying they are warm and friendly with his yellow stripes in his tie and her yellow suit.

Other 1992 Psychological Aspects

Spending:
The consumers of 1992 were scared and had no confidence to spend. This was because of the economy at that time.
"The reason they're not spending is they're concerned about their own and their families' prospects and job security," said Humphrey Taylor, president of Louis Harris & Associates, the polling organization. "Until these concerns change, which is a psychological thing, not a material one, confidence is going to stay low." (Waiting for Consumers to Spend, NYTimes.com)

Food Health and body:
In 1992 consumers began to look deeper into health and healthy eating. The food pyramid is introduced by the U.S. department of Agriculture which replaces the old “four basic food groups.” They were shocked at these new groups and felt that there were too many food groups and foods that need to be eaten within a day.
Consumers were also decreasing their consumption of whole milk.
“Average per-capita U.S. consumption of whole milk falls to 79.6 pounds, down from 168 in 1975, but consumption of low fat milk reaches 99.3 pounds, up from 53.2, and of skim milk 25 pounds, up from 11.5 as Americans try to curb their butterfat intake.”

Along with these concerns of food and fat the debate over organic food and whole food as these types of stores begins to increase. Stores are beginning to open more frequently and in numbers for healthy foods and consumers are split on their feelings. Many consumers feel that spending more for a better, healthier product is worthwhile, where as many would rather save their money, especially during the current times.

As well as the food change the body image was still growing in importance. Skinny was in and everyone was trying to look like a model. It wasn’t anything new however since Twiggy walked the runway in the late 1960’s. More people were becoming unhappy with their bodies and more studies were being done to understand why.

Info provided from NYtimes.com and Psychologytoday.com

Olympics Medal Ceremony

In the year 1992 the Winter Olympics were held in France. This video is a medal ceremony of the women-single ice-skating event. This video is interesting because you can see the style lines of 1992 and what might have emerged in later years because of the Olympics mass media coverage. You can see from the video that an American, Kristi Yamaguichi, took first place. Her skating uniform showed many trends that were common in the early nineties. You can see that every skater on the medalist block has high shoulder pads. The v-neckline was very popular and you can see it on each skater’s uniform. Also if you look at the colors from the crowd they’re all wearing dark true colors. This helps to show the emerging lack of color in the early-mid nineties. If you look at the texture in the garments you also see more of a thick rough exterior with a lace like appearance.

More Educational/Household Income Data

Educational Attainment in Population 25 Years and Over, 1990-2000 1990 2000 Number Percent of Total Number Percent of Total Total Population Age 25+ 158,868,436 100.00% 182,211,639 100.00% Less than 9th grade 16,502,211 10.39% 13,755,477 7.55% Some high school, no diploma 22,841,507 14.38% 21,960,148 12.05% High school graduate* 47,642,763 29.99% 52,168,981 28.63% Some college, no degree 29,779,777 18.74% 38,351,595 21.05% Associate degree 9,791,925 6.16% 11,512,833 6.32% Bachelor's degree 20,832,567 13.11% 28,317,792 15.54% Graduate or professional degree 11,477,686 7.22% 16,144,813 8.86% http://www.censusscope.org/us/chart_education.html Household Income, 2000 (1999 Income)
		Percent of Total
	Number	Households
Total Households	105,539,122	100.00%
Less than $9,999	10,067,027	9.54%
$10,000 - $14,999	6,657,228	6.31%
$15,000 - $24,999	13,536,965	12.83%
$25,000 - $34,999	13,519,242	12.81%
$35,000 - $49,999	17,446,272	16.53%
$50,000 - $74,999	20,540,604	19.46%
$75,000 - $99,999	10,799,245	10.23%
$100,000 - $149,999	8,147,826	7.72%
$150,000 - $199,999	2,322,038	2.20%
$200,000 and above	2,502,675	2.37%

"The Census reports on the level of education attained by adults age 25 and older. Our elderly population grew up in a time when education attainment was typically lower, and college attendance was less widespread. As this population is succeeded by younger and increasingly well-educated cohorts, the percent of the population that has attained higher levels of education slowly increases. Not only has the number of diplomas and degrees increased, but their percentage in the population has also increased, indicating a growth in attainment greater than the relative growth in national population.

Household Income, 1990 (1989 Income)
		Percent of Total
	Number	Households
Total Households	91,993,582	100.00%
Less than $9,999	14,214,497	15.45%
$10,000 - $14,999	8,133,273	8.84%
$15,000 - $24,999	16,123,742	17.53%
$25,000 - $34,999	14,575,125	15.84%
$35,000 - $49,999	16,428,455	17.86%
$50,000 - $74,999	13,777,883	14.98%
$75,000 - $99,999	4,704,808	5.11%
$100,000 - $149,999	2,593,768	2.82%
$150,000 and above	1,442,031	1.57%

Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN)

As stated early this information is useful in guiding us to the ultimate end product.

United States

Print-Friendly Version

DOMINANT GENERATIONS Click on a state to view related charts and data: To see a graph of the United States accroding to generational demographic click here It is important to look at generationl demographics and location when trying to decide who to market a product to. By analyzing this data we can see that the early Baby Boomer generation, the Lucky generation Generation Y, are the three age groups that spend the most amount of money on luxury goods. The youngest generations are the most dominant in spending because they are little finical responsibility, thus they spend all their money on personal/luxury goods, and entertainment. The Baby Boomer generation is starting to retire, and economically thrived during the beginning of the technological indusrty. Therefor, this generation spends a great deal of their money on their children and their children's children.This information can guide us in deciding who our target market should be, and help us develop new design elements for Butler Bag. "Different parts of America are aging in different ways. In some areas, the young leave for jobs and schooling while older adults age-in-place. In other areas, immigration or high fertility rates more than offset growth in the elderly population with new children. Trends like these result in counties' widely divergent age structures, which are reflected in "population pyramids." Take a look at a few of the examples, below. These charts show the future: a broad base means fast growth, a straight trunk means slow. Of course, Towner County, North Dakota is a bit more enigmatic". Greatest Generation (1926-35) McPherson County, South Dakota Lucky Generation (1936-45) Mohave County, Arizona Early Baby Boomers (1946-55) Franklin County, Pennsylvania Late Baby Boomers (1956-65) Douglas County, Oregon Generation X (1966-75) Los Angeles County, California Generation Y (1976-1985) Wasatch County, Utah Source: Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN). http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_generations.html

Demogrphics Based on Politics

By looking at the political candidates demographics, it is easy to get a sense of people’s attitudes, morals, and beliefs. For example, successive generations are more liberal in issues of minorities, and overall controversial issues. Were as the baby boomer generation and the generations before them are more conservative and overall more traditional.

According to Forbes Magazine, Studies conducted in the 1960s and 70s found sharp generational contrasts in racial attitudes. For instance, about 55% of whites born in 1943 or later reported that they had at least some black friends. The corresponding figures for those born between 1927 and 1942, and for those born between 1911 and 1926: 50% and 40%, respectively. The same studies found similar differences between cohorts in favoring or opposing desegregation”.

Therefor, since Americans as a whole are becoming more liberal, there more many people are more willing to experiment with new products, and purchase items outside their normal element (depending on the economy). In addition, in a more liberal society it gives designers and businesses, as a whole, more freedom to experiment with new products and expand their horizons when society is drifting towards moderation.

Demographic Information : Income based in Education

Less than 9th grade	High school Drop out	High School Graduate	Some College	Associates Degree	Bachelor’s Degree
$40,873	$17,414	$23,096	$37,520	$46,296	$52,289
$42,235	$18,031	$21,933	$37,609	$44,537	$50,485
43,648	$17,762	$22,688	$38,607	$45,734	$51,726
$46,236	$19,008	$23,977	$39,322	$48,588	$54,282
$45,300	$18,830	$24,162	$37,468	$47,605	$53,166
$45,016	$18,787	$22,718	$36,835	$45,854	$56,970
Average	$43,376	$18,183	$23,013	$37,620	$46,109
Bacheor’s degree or more	Master’s degree	Professioal degree	Doctorate Degree	Doctorate degree	year
$64,150	$68,845	$72,669	102,667	$92,614	1991
$63,357	$69,584	$77,865	$98,302	$95,899	1993
$67,487	$72,338	$77,850	$105,409	$99,699	1995
$70,925	$76,958	$82,097	$110,383	$107,217	1997
$69,796	$75,116	$81,993	$103,918	$96,442	1999
$68,728	$73,446	$78,541	$100,000	$96,830	2001
$51,934	$66,997	$72,376	$78,094	$104,368	2003

Analysis: The concept behind butler bag is to help have people have organization and structure in their lives. Whether the customer is a CEO, a parent, student, etc. everyone needs a simple way to organize their personal items. Thus, by looking at income based on education, it will help us design a a bag at the right price point and the have the proper functions for the target customer.

Sourced from US Census Bureau

Behavior in 1992

Behavior in 1992
Sports: The USA “original dream team” competed and won the gold in the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona.The 1992 Olympics also inspired Christian Dior who incorporated the colors red, white, and blue for his men’s active wear line.

Travel: In 1992 Louis Vuitton opens its first boutique in Shanghai, which triggers a theme of travel in their line of bags. Vanity Fair from 1992, volume 33, uses an advertisement titled “Louis Vuitton. The spirit of travel.” This advertisement conveys that travel was popular stating “City lights and Amazon blooms…Like all the creations of Louis Vuitton, articles made of Epi leather are imbued with the magic of great journeys. They renew and confirm the working tradition of leather, and ebar witnessto the rigorous standards of the House that has given travel its stamp of nobility since 1854”.