STUDY: What Do Americans Care About Most This Christmas?

A week ago we published a consumer survey and infographic from our friends at SHIFT Communications that detailed shopping trends for Christmas 2014 as well as some helpful pitching tips from the firm's VP of Marketing Technology Chris Penn. Today we have the results of a different sort of research project by another local firm: MWW. Last week the firm released the results of 2014's Matter More Project, or "one of the largest known studies of American life priorities today." While its results may not surprise you, they will almost certainly encourage you. In order to produce this latest edition of Matter More (available here), MWW and partner Critical Mix surveyed "nearly 10,000" Americans about the importance of 48 different "priorities" that apply to nearly every facet of modern life, ranging from work and technology to health and family. These matters are central to communications: as the study's intro puts it, "when push comes to shove, it is our priorities that have emotional relevance." In other words, all the context-free data won't do communicators much good unless they can appreciate the emotions and values at the core of the American holiday experience. The winning sentiments in a landslide: Spending time with family Being true to oneself The runners up were "feeling safe and secure," "standing up for what you believe in," "feeling loved," and "having a purpose." What do we take from these findings? Let's start with the sentiments that Americans find less important this year: Staying healthy Eating good food Saving money Establishing a good work/life balance Having fun Earning the respect of one's peers Being sexually active Maintaining one's own privacy (!!) At the very bottom of the list: being politically active, having the newest tech toys, maintaining a large and active social group and being on top of fashion trends. David Herrick, the MWW New York general manager who was promoted to the COO position in 2012, says that "a core set of life priorities has emerged" despite what certainly feels like a growing focus on consumerism. This trend applies across demographics: But that's not to say that we're all the same -- or that we're not obsessed with our devices and social networks. The Millennial survey group, for example, was more likely to list "being fashionable" as an important goal and to focus on saving for the future. Young folk also tend to value "disruption" and aspire to become "influencers" while their Gen-X predecessors are more focused on altruism and personal ethics. So tech and marketing jargon has fully infiltrated the cultural mainstream and all Americans grow more generous during the holiday season. MWW's analysis holds that messages aimed at young people should focus on independence, individuality and "breaking the rules" (in a good way!) while older Americans are more receptive to realism. In the end, though, family and personal security trumps everything else. It's not even close. Isn't that at least slightly encouraging?

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STUDY: What Do Americans Care About Most This Christmas?

Patrick Coffee

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