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The Foster Letter —

Religious Market Update

The FOSTER Letter is a bi-weekly e-mail religious market intelligence report targeted to Christian market channel and ministry leaders.  Each issue reports on news, trends, events and research that will directly or indirectly impact your audiences and businesses in a convenient summary format  Better informed leaJAN10_09.htmlders make better choices!

Researched, Edited & Published by Gary D. Foster

Excerpts from the

January 25, 2010 edition of

The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update

Publisher Marketshare Thomas Nelson remains the top Christian book publisher in terms of revenue, and its evangelical market share grew from 29.3% to 32.6% in ’09 of the top 10 U.S. book publishers. Random House remains the #1 trade publisher, growing its marketshare from 15.9% to 17.5%. Pearson (includes USA) was #2, but its market share was flat—from 11% to 11.3%. Hachette Book Group USA moved up from #5 to #3. Nelson maintained its #7 U.S. trade publisher position. In terms of the top Christian publishers, the top 4 remained unchanged, although Zondervan and Tyndale both lost market share, while Baker Publishing Group remained flat. B&H Publishing Group climbed from #7 to #5, and FaithWords slipped from #7 to #10. Mike Hyatt, President of Thomas Nelson, said, “I think the Christian segment in particular has suffered for lack of a blockbuster title to drive people to our category. When you have mega-bestsellers like The Prayer of Jabez, the Left Behind series, The Purpose Driven Life and Your Best Life Now, all publishers benefit because it gets people in the stores. We haven't really seen anything comparable for 18 months.” (Church Report 1/19/10) 

Marketsquare International is Big Hit 217 international buyers, U.S. buyers, and Christian resource suppliers met in Atlanta 1/10-12/10. Nearly 20 countries were represented at the event which was an exhibit space sell-out. Virtually every exhibitor was upbeat about their sales activity. Gary D Foster Consulting managed the show’s exhibit sales. (Foster Network)  

Broken Market Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean the market cares any longer. It's extremely difficult to repair the market. It’s a lot easier to find a market that will respect and pay for the work you can do. If Wal-Mart or some cultural shift has turned what you do into a commodity, don’t argue. Find a new place before the competition does. It's not easy or fair, but I can help. Call 419-238-4082, e-mail Gary@garydfoster.com or visit www.garydfoster.com. (Seth Godin’s Blog 1/6/09) 

High Anxiety A new study has found that 5 times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era. (AP 1/11/09) 

The Over-50 Crowd buys lots of things. They outspend the under-50 crowd by $400 billion. That’s more than Wal-Mart sells in a year. They are not “set in their ways” and often try new things. They read newspapers, watch TV, and listen to the radio. They are easier to target than younger generations. With a median age of 54, Boomers don’t expect to reach old age until age 75. They are online and they search, shop, and buy while there. 40% are already grandparents. Over 55% of all grandparents alive today are Boomers, and they spend money on their grandkids. They also like to influence everyone’s purchases—family, friends, Facebook buddies. They are skeptical, but they are also fans of good advertising. “Old” is where the action is for the next 20 years, and Boomers are the new “old.” (Boomer Project 1/5/09) 

Caregivers About 1 in 3 U.S. adults cares for a loved one who is elderly, sick, or has special needs, finds a National Alliance for Caregiving survey. 2 out of 3 unpaid caregivers are women. The typical caregiver is a woman in her late 40s caring for a parent, most often her mother, who is in her late 70s or older and has a job outside her home. 70% of caregivers are taking care of loved ones who are 50 years old or older and provide an average of 20 hours per week of care for an average of 4.6 years. Some 65 million American adults are providing care to loved ones independent of traditional parenting roles. (Pastor’s Weekly Briefing 1/8/09) 

Cautious Optimism The most recent Consumer Confidence Index by The Conference Board and TNS stands at 52.9 (1985=100), up from 50.6 in November. The Present Situation Index remains at a 26-year low while the Expectations Index was more optimistic.  Those claiming business conditions are bad increased to 46.6% in December from 44.5% in November. Those claiming conditions are good decreased to 7.0% from 8.1%. Those claiming jobs are hard to get decreased to 48.6% from 49.2%. Those claiming jobs are plentiful decreased to 2.9% from 3.1%. The proportion of consumers anticipating an increase in their incomes decreased to 10.3% from 10.9%. (Center for Media Research Brief 1/5/09) 

Dissatisfied Even Americans who have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45% are satisfied with their work. This is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years. In ’08, 49% reported satisfaction with their jobs. The drop can be partly blamed on the recession, which makes it difficult for some to find challenging and suitable jobs. (AP 1/5/09) 

Timely Thanks 60% of donors to ministries or charities do not expect the organization to thank them, according to a recent Campbell Rinker poll. Donors don’t give out of a desire for recognition but to help the organization fulfill its mission, and they see being thanked as equal to being recognized. They also don’t want to cause the organization an administrative burden. Still, 40% do expect a thank-you from the organization. 1 in 50 expects it within a few days, 1 in 20 within a week, 1 in 6 within 2 weeks, and 1 in 7 within a month. 70% want a tax receipt, 28% within a month with most others within 1 or 2 weeks. (DonorSpeak 1/10) 

New Revenue Streams I can help you maximize existing revenue sources or discover brand new ones compatible with your vision and resources. Contact 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. 

It’s About Community In these times, people are extremely anxious, unsettled, and uncertain because of massive changes introduced by social and economic forces that seem beyond our control. Your business or ministry is not really about marketing, product, net sales, or donor revenue—it’s about community. Businesses and ministries that can effectively build community with and among its audiences are the ones that will thrive. This should be in your organization’s DNA. Make me your ‘Community Consultant.’ Contact 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com.  

China overtook Germany as the world’s top exporter when its December exports jumped 17.7% in another sign of China's rise as a global economic force. China’s exports for December ’09 were $130.7 billion, according to General Administration of Customs data. This raised total ’09 exports to $1.2 trillion, ahead of the $1.17 trillion for Germany. Although largely symbolic, this reflects the ability of its resilient, low-cost manufacturers to keep selling abroad despite a slump in global consumer demand due to the financial crisis. (AP 1/10/10) 

Demographic Winter A U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs report concludes the number of elderly people worldwide will outnumber children for the first time in 2045, forecasting the start of a “demographic winter.” Some experts say this could constitute the biggest international crisis in the coming century. The report, World Population Aging 2009, says 22% of the world’s population will be older than 60 years within 40 years (up from 11% in ’09 and 8% in 1950). A trend of low birth rates worldwide with the ascendancy of contraception and abortion has caused the elderly population to increase by 2.6% per year (3 times the overall world population growth). The 60+ age group will reach 2 billion by 2050. The imbalance will have a major impact on the worldwide working-age community, upon whom it will fall to support the disproportionately aged population. The dramatic shift in demographics will impact life in various aspects, including economic growth, investment, consumption, pensions, taxation, and health care. (LifeSite News 1/14/10) 

TV Can Kill You Every hour spent sitting idle in front of the TV raises the risk of premature death from heart disease by 18%, finds an Australian study by Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute. Researchers found those who spent 4 hours daily in front of the tube had an 80% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who watched TV less than 2 hours. The correlation was independent of risks such as smoking, obesity, and unhealthy diet. Prolonged inactivity is the culprit and is one of the biggest contributors to a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain. (Bloomberg.com 1/13/10) 

Presbyterian Church (USA) The current Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians report by Presbyterian Church (USA) shows 39% of members agree or strongly agree that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Fewer pastors (35%) agree or strongly agree. Meanwhile, 45% of elders at least agree. Among members, only 43% disagree or strongly disagree that “all the world’s religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth.” Also, majorities of members (60%), elders (68%), and pastors (66%) agree that “the only absolute truth for humankind is in Jesus Christ.” 1 in 6 PC (USA) members and fewer ministers believe the Bible is to be taken literally, word for word. 46% of members and 61% of pastors say the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of its historical and cultural context, while 1 in 3 lay people and pastors say the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of its historical context and Church teachings. Notably, 44% of members say they had a “conversion experience,” or they experienced a turning point in their life by committing themselves to Christ. (Christian Post 1/13/10) 

Clergy Honesty/Ethics Ratings Drop In Gallup’s ’08 Honesty and Ethics of Professions poll, 56% of Americans rated the clergy’s honesty and ethics very high or high. In ’09, it fell further to 50%. Gallup says the reason for the drop is unclear, but the current rating is even below where it was earlier in the decade during the priest sex-abuse scandals. Ratings dropped among both Catholics and Protestants, as well as among regular and non-regular churchgoers. (Gallup.com)

Why Buy E-Books? The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. recently revealed new research data collected directly from book readers that addresses how print-book buyers access, purchase, and use e-books and e-readers. The survey found that 30% of print-book buyers would wait up to 3 months to purchase the e-book edition of a book by their favorite author. The study also found the top characteristics of why consumers purchase an e-book rather than a print book to be: 1-Affordability, 2-Easy to download, 3-Readability, 4-Instant access to book, 5-Portability, 6-Searchability, 7-Environmentally friendly. (BISIG 1/15/10) 

Retailers Choice nominations are open until 1/29/10. Suppliers of Christian products are encouraged to enter at www.RetailersChoiceAwards.com. (Strang Publishing 1/15/10) 

Gender Role Reversal More men today wed women who earn more than they do, says Pew Research. In the past when fewer wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than it did men. In 70, 26% of wives age 30-44 had husbands who were better-educated than they were, outnumbering the 20% whose husbands had less education. By ’07, these patterns had reversed: 19% of wives had husbands with more education, compared with 28% whose husbands had less education. Among remaining couples, spouses had similar educations. Women’s earnings rose 44% in that time span compared to just 6% for men. (AP 1/18/10)

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