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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 leaders make better choices!

Researched, Edited & Published by Gary D. Foster

Excerpts from the

November 25, 2009 edition of

The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update

Kids—Hidden Recession Casualties For many American families, the greatest damage inflicted by this recession has not necessarily been financial, but emotional and psychological. Children, especially, have become hidden casualties. Several academic studies have linked parental job loss (especially that of fathers) to adverse impacts in areas like school performance and self-esteem. A Univ. of California study found children in families where the head of the household had lost a job were 15% more likely to repeat a grade. An earlier Univ. of Chicago study found adolescent children of low-income single mothers who endured unemployment had an increased chance of dropping out of school and showed declines in emotional well-being.  In the long term, children whose parents were laid off have been found to have lower annual earnings as adults than those whose parents remained employed. New York Univ. Center for Human Potential and Public Policy says job loss in middle-class households appears to change family dynamics. Repercussions were more pronounced in children when fathers, rather than mothers, experience unemployment, (NY Times 11/12/09) 

No Time to Self 47% of all women say the big stress in their life is the demand on their time. 45% say they don’t have “enough time for me.” (Boston Globe, 8/09)

 Gifts That Give 76% of U.S. adults would prefer to receive a meaningful gift (one that would help someone else) this Christmas instead of a traditional gift of clothing or electronics, according to a new Harris Interactive study for World Vision. 49% are more likely to give a “charitable gift” as a holiday present this year. 57% of U.S. adults plan to spend less money on gifts this Christmas, while 74% plan to increase their charitable giving once the economy improves. (Christian Post 11/17/09) 

Tech & Friends In spite of Facebook and Twitter, the size of the average American’s social circle is smaller today than 20 years ago. Yet, contrary to popular opinion, use of cell phones and the Internet is not to blame, according to a new Pew Internet and American Life study. People who regularly use digital technologies are more social than the average American and more likely to visit parks and cafes or volunteer for local organizations. However, people who use social networks are 30% less likely to know their neighbors and 26% less likely to provide them companionship. The Pew report did find that only 6% of Americans have no friends, a rate that has held steady for 25 years. The circle of close friends for mobile phone users tends to be 12% larger than for nonusers. People who share online photos or instant messages have 9% larger social circles than nonusers. Yet, people still prefer face-to-face communication as the primary means to stay in touch with friends and family (people see loved ones in person an average of 210 days a year). Respondents said that they were in touch via mobile phone an average of 195 days a year. (NY Times 11/6/09) 

Advertising That Works is more than targeting the right people, leveraging the right media and creatively delivering the message. What you say matters most of all. Speak to a felt need. Good advertising isn’t about the product or the company that sells it. Good ads explain how the customer’s life will be different. How you say it is critical. Clarity is more important than creativity. Deliver your message using whatever media offers the best psychological environment. Advertising works best when it speaks to what customers already care about. Good ads are about the reader, the listener, the viewer of the ad. I can help you ensure your ads work. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (Monday Morning Memo from Wizard of Ads 11/9/09) 

Dissatisfied A Datamonitor consumer survey in Spring ’09 found that less than half of consumers across 17 countries are satisfied with their work-life balance. Various demands and commitments from work and personal/family life have contributed to the feeling of time-deprivation. People are looking for speed and convenience and anything that allows them to feel more in control of time. (Datamonitor 8/09) 

Seniors are a rapidly growing segment in our society and one of great potential value to marketers. According to the US Census Bureau, in the next 5 years alone, the population of those over 65 will increase by 40%, from 36.8 million to 51.7 million. By mid-century, the worldwide population of seniors is projected to triple. In the U.S., this could add up to 88.5 million people over 65, comprising 20% of the population. A Focalyst study shows seniors who use the Internet have almost double the income and are twice as likely to have gone to college and still be working and married than those who are not connected. (MediaPost 11/9/09) 

Losses The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development expects to see 2 million foreclosures in ’09. About 1.2 million Americans have lost their jobs this year so far. (Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, Thomas Nelson 2009)  

The Australian Government has rejected a proposal from its own think-tank to create an open market for books. The government has decided not to change the Australian regulatory regime for books, saying because of the intense competition from online books and e-books, changing the regulations governing book imports is unlikely to have any material effect on the availability of books in Australia. (Publishing Perspectives 11/11/09) 

Savvy Marketers realize that it is because many marketers cut ad spending during a recession that a recession is the best and least expensive time to gain market share through advertising. Publishers are more open to negotiating deals, plus there is less competition as others reduce or eliminate ad budgets. This is the time to brand yourself as the leader in your category. Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Verizon, News Corp, Wal-Mart and PepsiCo have all increased their ad spending. Call on me for a “grow in the tough times” strategy plan.  419-238-4082, gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (Marketing Daily 8/27/08) 

Reader Christmas According to research by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs, clothing, toys and games continue to lead the pack as the most popular gift items. But after that, gifts that could be used within the home—such as DVDs, housewares and consumer electronics (particularly electronic book readers)—showed the most category growth over ’08. (Marketing Daily 11/16/09) 

IBS-STL UK For Sale Leading Christian book and Bible charity IBS-STL UK has announced it has appointed a UK business broker to pursue the sale of its operations. The move has come after a succession of financial problems, in particular the failed implementation of a new SAP computer system in October ’08. These have caused significant cash-flow pressures, excess stock, and supply chain and service difficulties in its distribution and retail units. Biblica says the planned sale of the UK operations will not impact its other global operations. (Foster Network 11/16/09) 

Incidents of Violence against women on mainstream U.S. television has increased by 120% in the past 5 years, with the depiction of teen girls as victims rising by some 400%, reports the Parents Television Council. (Church Report 10/29/09) 

Fewer Kids—Fewer Schools The Canadian education E-advocacy organization People for Education reports up to 335 Ontario schools face closure in the next 3 years due to declining enrollment (15% since ’97), which stems from the province's low birth rate. 172 elementary and secondary schools will close or are recommended to close by ’12 vs. 145 reported in May. Another 163 are currently under review. Declining enrollment is a phenomenon across the country. Statistics Canada reports the fertility rate was 1.66 children per woman in ’07, well below the replacement level of 2.1. “This shouldn’t be a great surprise,” says Mary Ellen Douglas of Campaign Life Coalition, “when 3.5 million children have been eliminated” through abortion. (LifeSite News 11/10/09) 

The IRS has proposed regulations that would allow the government agency to audit churches, revoke tax-exempt status and impose penalties without considering churches' rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the First Amendment. Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the regulations give the government too much power. “Any time the government gets involved in regulating the church,” he said, “we have to be vigilant and really hold the government to account.” Religious liberty groups are asking the IRS to regulate itself and comply with the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. (CitizenLink 11/9/09) 

No More Hugs Books Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, has announced it is discontinuing the successful Hugs gift book line due to gift market uncertainties and is shifting its focus fully to trade titles. (Christian Retailing 11/9/09) 

Islam Threat San Diego Univ. recently calculated that a staggering 25% of the population in Europe will be Muslim in just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century. (Geert Wilders, Dutch Member of Parliament 11/09) 

Faith Journeys Those who attended Sunday school or other religious programs as children or as teens are much more likely than those without such experiences to attend church and to have an active faith as adults. Among those who frequently attended such programs as a child, 50% attended a worship service in the last week (slightly higher than the national average and well ahead of those who rarely or never attended as children). Among those who frequently attended religious programs as teens, 58% attended a worship service in the last week. Less frequent participation as a teen correlates with less frequent adult participation. Furthermore, U.S. adults who were frequent religious attendees as children are less likely to have changed central faith views than those who attended less often. (Barna Update 11/16/09) 

Improve Board Meeting Efficiency Board meetings are costly and should be highly productive. I can help your Board accomplish more and make better informed decisions without longer meetings. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com.  

It’s Dinnertime in America In spite of America’s mobile and fractured family culture, most nights most families manage to eat together, finds an. Associated Press-iVillage Food poll. More than 60% of those who live with families say they sit down with family for dinner at least 5 nights a week. Home-cooked meals were the norm, not just takeout and fast food. Hand-me-down family recipes determine the menu more than any other source. Even so, TV is a constant dinner companion for 25% of families. More than half have it turned on more often than rarely. Half are also pestered by phone calls. 5% have a steady stream of texting or e-mailing going on, while nearly 40% have the radio or stereo going at least occasionally. Other findings include: 20% of families have one dinner in a sit-down restaurant per week and 27% at a fast-food place. Just 51% of men make a home-cooked meal at least sometimes vs. 71% of women. 86% had cooked a meal using a recipe passed along from parents, 68% from newspapers or magazines, 54% from the Internet and 51% from TV. 64% of people in rural areas and 63% in the suburbs ate with their families at least 5 nights in the week vs. 56% in cities. (OneNewsNow 11/14/09) 

Sexually Transmitted Infections continue to rise, with the number of Chlamydia cases setting another record in ’08. The Associated Press reported there were 1.2 million new cases last year vs. 1.1 million in ’07. Syphilis also has been increasing, with 13,500 cases of the most contagious form reported in ’08. Dr. Miriam Grossman, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and author, notes the diseases are spreading quickly among teens. “If you look closely at what young people are being taught about sexuality,” she said, “you will discover that it is being assumed that they will have sex at an early age and that they will have multiple partners.” There are an estimated 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections annually. The most common is human papillomavirus (HPV). (CitizenLink.com 11/16/09) 

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