Branding Firm Releases National Ginger’s Alpha Panel Survey Results

Consumer branding firm Ginger today released results of its January 2009 Ginger’s Alpha Panel Survey(TM) (Executive summary at: www.gingerminneapolis.com). The survey provides a snapshot of alpha women’s priorities for themselves and the new administration in 2009.

Eighty-one percent of respondents believe stabilizing the economy must be priority number one for the new administration. High-quality, affordable health care is number two (46%).

According to Ginger’s Import-O-Meter(TM), alpha women ranked health as most important for 2009. Surprisingly, success ranked dead last.

What’s the mood of alpha females going into 2009? Fifty-seven percent of survey respondents are ‘optimistic but realistic’ and 26 percent are ‘hopeful things will turn around.’

For 62 percent of alpha females, ‘making do with less across the board’ is now a key priority.

It’s not living green, education, health care or Iraq. The economy is front and center for America’s “Alpha Females,” according to a survey released today by Minneapolis-based branding firm Ginger Consulting. The semi-annual, online Ginger’s Alpha Panel Survey(TM) was conducted in 10 metro markets, including New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Results reflect the 2009 priorities of more than 150 alpha women and were collected during the first two weeks of 2009.

The survey found an overwhelming 81 percent of respondents said the economy is the Obama administration’s number-one priority. Despite the dire economy, 57 percent of respondents are “optimistic but realistic” about the year ahead and 26 percent are “hopeful that things will turn around.”

Ginger’s Alpha Panel(TM) is a proprietary panel of 400 alpha females — consumer influencers and opinion leaders who provide a preview into what mainstream women will be thinking and doing six months to two years from now. These are the gals that other women seek for advice and ideas. The mega niche of “women” is widely attributed as influencing more than 80 percent of all products and services sold in the U.S.

Alpha women think that high-quality, affordable health care should be priority number two for the administration at 46 percent. “Across the board, survey respondents indicated they are ready for the government to work on complicated infrastructure issues,” said Ginger partner Mary Van Note.

Health ranked as the most important personal priority for alpha women this year, according to Ginger’s Import-O-Meter(TM). Surprisingly, success ranked dead last — farther down than achievement.

ThinkCHANGE is so 2008? According to the survey, alpha females are still all about it. For 62 percent, “making do with less across the board” is now a higher priority. The bad news for upscale restaurants — 65 percent of alpha females plan to have fewer nice dinners out. Some good news for retailers — alphas still plan to shop, though 60 percent are now “buying on sale.”

Ginger partner Beth Perro-Jarvis points out that this trend is in line with the overall mood of respondents. “Ahead-of-the-curve women are taking personal responsibility and realize that we all have to experience some ‘good’ pain to get out of the economic mess,” said Perro-Jarvis.

Ginger’s Alpha Panel covers 10 metro markets in the U.S., including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Seattle. Alpha female panelists are early adopters and leaders in their circles, representing futurist points of view from academia and politics to fashion and child rearing. Each woman is professionally hand-recruited and interviewed, and must fit alpha criteria.

Ginger’s Alpha Panel Survey topics focus on work, family life, self-improvement, shopping habits and the state of the nation. Response rates typically vary from 35 to 50 percent. Visit http://www.gingerminneapolis.com/ for an executive summary or data graphs.

Ginger Consulting

Ginger is a savvy boutique branding firm based in Minneapolis and working across the U.S. The firm has earned a national reputation for its fast and creative solutions to the most vexing marketing problems. Ginger has worked in more than 20 industry categories and collaborated with businesses like Nordstrom, Banana Republic, Best Buy, Kimberly Clark, Capital One and The Ritz-Carlton. Visit gingerminneapolis.com for more information.