Study Discovers Car-Buying Habits by Party Affiliation

"A new study from Strategic Vision indicates that the kind of car someone drives can be a strong indicator of political party affiliation."

Report: Facebook, Google Overtake Yahoo In Display Ad Market Share

"Yahoo’s once dominant position with display advertising is now officially over. Research firm eMarketer released figures Wednesday showing that both Facebook and Google surpassed Yahoo last year in display-ad revenue, with $1.73 billion and $1.71 billion, respectively."

More Americans Plan to Save, Not Spend, Their Tax Refund

"Of those expecting a refund, 44% said they plan to stash some of it in savings, up from 42% last year, according to a survey of more than 8,700 consumers by the National Retail Federation. That marks the highest percentage in the survey's nine-year history."

Study: Negative Campaign Ads Much More Frequent, Vicious Than in Primaries Past

"If you thought you were living through a particularly nasty presidential primary season, turns out you were right. Four years ago, just 6 percent of campaign advertising in the GOP primaries amounted to attacks on other Republicans; in this election, that figure has shot up to more than 50 percent, according to an analysis of advertising trends."

'Buying Happiness' Means Different Things to Different People

"A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that happiness means different things to different people, depending on whether they're focused on the future or the present. As a result, marketers that are trying to sell products based on the claim that it will make their customers happy must take a different approach depending on who their customers are."

Facebook, AT&T Make List of Most Hated Companies in America

"Customers, employees, shareholders and taxpayers hate large corporations for many reasons. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a lengthy list of corporations for which there is substantial research data to choose the 10 most hated in America."

Retailers in for Steady, Modest Growth in 2012

The National Retail Federation at the start of its annual convention in New York said U.S. retail sales should rise 3.4 percent this year, down from an increase of 4.7 percent in 2011, which came after weak sales in 2010.

Online Holiday Sales Hit $31B, 15% Over Last Year So Far

"Shoppers have spent $30.9 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, up from $26.9 billion at the same point last year, said the Reston, Va.-based company, which tracks Web use."

Study: Cyber Monday was Biggest Online Shopping Day Ever in U.S.

"Monday was the highest-grossing online shopping day in U.S. history, with spending reaching $1.25 billion, according to market research firm comScore. That's up 22% from the previous record, which was last year's Cyber Monday."

Consumers Feeling Rosier About the Economy

"The Consumer Confidence Index shot up to 56.0 in November from 40.9 the previous month, the Conference Board reported Tuesday, the highest reading since July."

Sugary Drink Makers Target Latino Youth, Report Says

"A new study conducted by Yale University suggests that soft drink and other sugary beverage manufacturers target their marketing campaigns to Latino and African-American children and teenagers."

Report: Facebook Dominates Display Ads

"Facebook accounts for 15 percent of total spent online, beating Google and Yahoo sites, which are tied with 10 percent each. Facebook also is responsible for 28 percent of all display ads seen online in the U.S., up from 23 percent in the same quarter last year."

People Look at Labels Less Than They Think

"Consumers think they look at food labels more than they actually do, University of Minnesota researchers suggest."

Websites Leak More Info Than Most Know: Study

"Consumers are less anonymous than they think while surfing the Web, according to a study released on Tuesday that triggered new calls for 'do not track' rules."

Household Income Drops to Lowest Point Since '96

"The median income of U.S. households fell 2.3% in 2010 to the lowest level since 1996 after adjusting for inflation, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday."

Pew: Half of U.S. Adults Now Use Social Networks

"A new study says half of all American adults are now on social networks, and use among Baby Boomers is growing."

Cartoon Characters Prod Kids to Nag for Unhealthy Foods

". . .you may have wondered, what makes even preschoolers yearn so desperately for the character-shaped marshmallow cereal? Or the prepackaged frozen meal in the brightly colored box? New research suggests one culprit: those cutesy cartoon characters used to sell foods in TV ads."

Playing Hard-to-Get May Be Effective

"Things that are hard to get, dates or products stuck at the back of the shelf, are more attractive than what is more easily attainable, U.S. researchers say."

Study: Graphic Warnings to Reduce Smoking

"A U.S. study suggests the new health warnings with graphic pictures on cigarette packages will reduce demand for cigarettes, researchers say."

Study: Graphic Warnings to Reduce Smoking

"A U.S. study suggests the new health warnings with graphic pictures on cigarette packages will reduce demand for cigarettes, researchers say."