Each month this newsletter takes a topical look into what is happening in the lives of Baby Boomers, Xers and Gen Y with a focus on products/services/brand/experiences that embrace social and digital technologies. Click here to download a free copy of this month’s edition. Headlines this month include:

Boomers

• The Boom In Boomer Models
• Core’s Split Reflects Growing Trend Among Boomers
• Sunny Delight Aims For Boomers
• One Quarter Of  Baby Boomers Use Social Networks AARP Says
• Companies Target Baby Boomers’ Changing Tastes

Gen X

• Togetherville Offers Parent-Patrolled Facebook Alternative For Youngsters
• Latest Hot Kid Trend: Brand Bandz
• New Ford Explorer To Make Debut On Facebook
• Care For Sick Kids While Parents Are At Work
• Elly The Reindeer Offers Age App-Propiate Story Time

Gen Y

• Nissan Lures Millennials With Dorky-Cool Cube
• Midas And Spin Rock The Highway This Summer
• Monsters Are Coming To The House That Barbie Built
• Dollhouse Gives Gen We Keys To Their Own Eco-Homes
• Inkpop Connects Teen Writers With Teen Readers

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

This is the fifth deck in our summer series 20 Interesting Things. It takes a quick look at what is happening in the QR Code space from both a marketing and general use perspective.
 

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

This is the fourth deck in our summer series 20 Interesting Things. It takes a quick look at what is happening in the Goodness space from both a marketing and general use perspective.
 

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

Each month we publish a series of four marketplace specific Trend Tracker newsletters that take a quick topical look into the banking, snacking, telecom and tourism industries. While we sometimes look at traditional stuff like new campaigns and promotions, we really tend to focus on interesting insights that relate to emerging technologies, digital and social happenings and consumer behavior.

Read below for the headline stories in each report and download the reports for free by clicking on the respective links.

Banking

• ATM Machines Offer Embedded Charity
• AMEX Puts Plastic In Teens Pockets
• ATM Finder With Augmented Reality
• Piggymojo Makes Saving Money Social And Fun
• Paying Offline For Virtual Online Purchases
• Chase Revamps Mobile Banking Service
• Swipely Enters Social Shopping Field
• Mobile Banking: Early Signs Of Huge Trend
• PayPal Powers In-App Payments For Android Developers

Snacking

• Retailer Issues Bonds To Be Repaid With Chocolate
• Stride Introduces Flavor Changing Gum
• Ghirardelli Asks Consumers To Explore The Dark Side
• G4 Lends A Hand To Nestlé’s Campy Butterfinger Search
• Kraft Targeting Facebook Ads At Latina Moms
• Mountain Dew Asks Fans To Crowdsource Media Buys
• Bulls-Eye Urges Bold Choices For BBQ Fans
• Pringles Combats Oversharing On Facebook
• Promoting A Potato Chip Using Many Farmers

Telecom

• Verizon Wireless Unveils 2D Bar Code Initiatives
• Cell Phone In New Role: Loyalty Card
• Nokia Bicycle-Powered Phone Charger
• Layer Launches New Augmented Reality Browser
• iPhone App Lets Users Earn Cash For Small Tasks
• Android OS Now Outselling iPhone OS
• Sprint Debuts First 4G Phone
• Gifts By Text Message
• Comcast To Debut Social Networking Site

Tourism

• PA Tourism Checks In On Foursquare
• Chicago Asks Visitors To Recreate Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Via Foursquare
• Margaritaville Hotel To Open In Florida
• Hotels.Com Unveils Augmented Reality Project
• Nebraska Asks Tourists To Fill Passport
• Most Visited Travel Websites
• Tourism Australia Crowdsources New Travel Inspiration Site
• South Africa Getting Ads From The Masses
• Starwood Hotels Holds Global Social Media Scavenger Hunt
• Niche Travel Tours For Late Sleepers
• Google Moves Into Online Travel Business
• Macy’s Presents Itself As A Tourist Destination

For a free subscription to Trend Trackers — or our other monthly newsletter, Generational News and Views — just drop David Stutts an e-mail at david.stutts@luckie.net

This is the third deck in our summer series 20 Interesting Things. It takes a quick look at what is happening in the Crowdsourcing space from both a marketing and general use perspective.

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

Here at Luckie, we’ve hit quite a growth spurt, adding 10 new positions this spring, eight specifically to handle our ever-increasing role with AT&T. As part of that client’s support team, two current Luckie employees have been moved into new positions, three additional employees have been hired at the Birmingham office, and three others have signed on at the San Antonio office.

“We are very proud to grow our long-standing relationship with AT&T through additional assignments,” said Mike Murphy, SVP and head of Luckie & Company’s San Antonio office. “And, in these economic times, we are especially pleased to be expanding our staff at Luckie, both in Birmingham and in San Antonio.”

Rhonda Richards
Rhonda Richards is Luckie & Company’s newest proofreader. Rhonda is a Birmingham native who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Birmingham-Southern College with a double major in English and history. She worked in the publishing industry for 15 years at Southern Progress Corporation. Rhonda has a custom PT Cruiser with flames themed after Brian Setzer & The Stray Cats that has won trophies at many car shows. She also cruises around on her pink scooter and even belongs to a scooter club that meets for coffee after work each Friday.

Max Daily
Max Daily Jr. had been with Luckie’s direct marketing division as a “permalancer” since October, and in April became a full-time production manager.  A graduate of the University of Alabama, Max has worked for both BellSouth and Southern Progress. He enjoys landscaping, reading and painting – on canvas, not walls.

Mary Jane Carney

Mary Jane Carney left behind her intern status at Luckie to join the AT&T team in April. Now an account coordinator, Mary Jane is a UAB graduate and has lived in Birmingham for three years. She enjoys taking her dog Coco on long walks through the park, watching movies, and traveling to see family. Mary Jane is a retired ballet teacher who says she enjoys shredding it up on a snowboard, has a bug collection, considers herself a sour candy expert and really loves Diet Coke.

Sue Hill
Sue Hill is one of three new additions at the Luckie & Company San Antonio office. An account executive, Sue graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Mass Communications-Public Relations. Sue previously worked for Direct Hit Data as their business analyst. She and her husband, Orenthal, have an 8-month old daughter. They also share their home with a dog, a cat and fish. Sue says she likes to bowl, enjoys Jane Austen movies, and is a hopeless romantic.

John Fleming
John Fleming has joined Luckie as a data account manager. For the past five years, John worked for PropertyInfo Corp., supporting their electronic recording product. AT&T is a family thing for John – his wife Stacy is a Senior Marketing Manager for the company. If he had any free time, John says he would spend it playing various musical instruments or working on one of his classic vehicles. He adds the secrets to his happiness are rock ‘n’ roll and a Chevy V8.

Lon Varns

Lon Varns has joined the San Antonio office as a marketing analyst. Lon’s sharp mind and attention to detail will serve the AT&T team well, as does his experience as an operations analyst with BBVA. Lon says he likes to read, camp, hike, swim, hunt, and play golf. He prides himself on being a red-meat and potatoes kids of guy who thinks barbecue sauce is a necessity that should be a requisite on any fully stocked table. He also likes watching college football, riding horses and building stuff.

Rebecca Russell
Rebecca Russell has worked for both accounting and media in her 16 years with Luckie, and now has moved to the direct marketing group as an account coordinator. Rebecca lives in Odenville and enjoys photography, traveling, birding, cooking and gardening. Rebecca is an animal lover, and the last cat she acquired was found in front of the Luckie building, crying in the boxwoods. She lured him out with part of her sandwich, and he joined two other cats that share her home. And yes, that cat’s name is “Lucky.”

Kristen Puett

Kristin Puett moved on up from Luckie Underground to join the team as an account coordinator. While Kristin has spent her time with Luckie in broadcast production, she came with prior experience in account management, both at The Richards Group and Scout Branding. Kristin is an Auburn graduate with a degree in Radio, TV and Film, and interned at Conan O’Brien in New York City, where she once rode an elevator with Dolly Parton and got to carry her stage hair. Kristin and her husband Ryan live in Birmingham with their daughter and cat.

Other recent hires in Birmingham include Senior Developer John Cobbs and Design Director Markus Beige.

To learn more about Luckie’s expanding capabilities, contact Business Development Director Brian Wright through any of the channels below.

Brian Wright, VP/Business Development: E-mail | LinkedIn

This is the second deck in our summer series 20 Interesting Things. It takes a quick look at what is happening in the Augmented Reality space from both a marketing and general use perspective.

 David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

David Griner

When 5,400 digital professionals gather on Wednesday, June 9, to kick off the annual Internet Retailer Conference and Expo in Chicago, one of the first featured speakers will be Luckie & Company’s own David Griner.

Griner, Luckie’s Social Media Strategist, was asked by event coordinators to share his perspectives on recent social media promotions in the retail industry. He will be presenting alongside Dan Shust, director of emerging media for Resource Interactive in Columbus, Ohio. Their discussion is titled “Two Thumbs Up (Or Down) On Social Media Efforts.”

“It’s a really exciting time to be talking to this audience,” Griner said. “Facebook, FourSquare and mobile applications are redefining what it means to ‘shop online,’ and I’m sure this will be a lively discussion.”

You can read more about the presentation — and even see some cool case studies that didn’t quite make the cut — over on Luckie’s social media blog, The Social Path.

David Griner | E-mail | Twitter | LinkedIn | SlideShare

Each month this newsletter takes a topical look into what is happening in the lives of Baby Boomers, Xers and Gen Y with a focus on products/services/brand/experiences that embrace social and digital technologies. Click here to download a free copy of this month’s edition. Headlines this month include:

Boomers
• Bedtime Storytelling For The Digital Grandparent
• Sunset Daze: Where Frisky Retirees Get Real
• Elations Leverages Boomers’ Facebook Usage
• P&G, NBC Digital Create Network For Boomer Verticals
• Mature Models Strut Their Stuff

Gen X
• Pampers’ Mother Of All iPad Apps
• My Gym Uses Mobile To Fight Childhood Obesity
• Affluent Gen X/Y Hike Private Label Sales
• Twin Outfits That Don’t Quite Match
• New Magazine Gives Childhood Obesity The ChopChop

Gen Y
• Brands Strive To Reach The Youth Market
• School Yearbooks, Personalized For Each Student
• Plastic Chips Carry An Online Message
• Mercedes Goes B-School To Learn From Millennials
• Among Gen Y Affluents: Channel, BMW Top Brands

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn

Geo-location based services seems to be growing at an exponential rate. Much like the early days of micro-blogging, there is a crowded playing field as various platforms compete for user attention. Foursquare is not the biggest of these services, but they seem to be in the early stages of separating from the pack with some of the smart marketing partnerships they have made. This deck serves as a quick introduction to Foursquare and explores some of the marketing efforts that brands are already pioneering in this space.

David Stutts | E-mail | Twitter | Blog | SlideShare | LinkedIn