Agency Research: A new survey of US marketing and agency professionals by Vennli found that 70% of marketers expect agencies to have done some primary research for a new business pitch. In addition, 89% of agencies with pitch-win rates above 50% reported using primary research to win new business. The survey also revealed that about one-third of agencies believe they win a pitch due to agency brand recognition.
Apps' Banner Year: The overall state of the app economy is booming, according to App Annie. The firm said app downloads worldwide jumped 60% in 2017 compared with totals in 2015, with consumer spending doubling over the same period to about $86 billion. Individual users spent an average of 1.5 months with apps in 2017, an increase of 30% from 2015.
Consumer Confidence Steady: Ipsos reports that its worldwide Consumer Confidence Index remains at 50.1 for January 2018. The index measures consumer attitudes in 24 countries on issues such as the economy, investment confidence, savings and personal finance. The index was highest in China, at 70.4, while the US ranked fourth, with a score of 61.1.
News, Biased: Confidence in the fourth estate is not doing great. Nearly half (45%) of US residents polled in 2017 by Gallup said they see a "great deal" of political bias in the news media. However, perceptions differed sharply among political parties, with a majority of Democrats believing news outlets were good at separating fact from opinion. Only 13% of Republicans felt similarly. About one-third of respondents said the news media took pains to separate fact from fiction, down from 58% who said the same in 1984.
Smart Thermostats Gain: The ownership rate of smart thermostats is on a steady climb in the US. Parks Associates reports that 13% of US broadband households owned one of the devices in 2017, up slightly from 11% in 2016. The firm credited the growth to the increased number of sales channels that now make smart thermostats available to consumers.