http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/ "HartBeat" is The Hartman Group's FREE online newsletter, providing insight, analysis, information and strategy to give business leaders the knowledge and vision to build sustainable brands. en-us Thu, 9 Sep 2010 20:33:24 GMT http://www.hartman-group.com http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/over-on-the-blog As we settle back into our daily routines after this last long weekend of summer, we can't help but turn our thoughts towards fall. 'Tis the season for all things back to school, whether or not your days of freshly sharpened pencils and Trapper Keepers are through. We thought it was high time to... Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/over-on-the-blog http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/from-eating-occasion-to-store-shelf In case you missed it, American culture and the American family are changing. 70% of U.S. households these days have no children under 18 and 28% of U.S. households are single-person households. Yet, today's food retail environments, for the most part, haven't evolved much beyond the early notions of... Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/from-eating-occasion-to-store-shelf http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/oprah-food-and-us Recently, Oprah sat down with Geneen Roth, author of Women, Food, and God. Roth has long been a fixture on the self-help scene, specifically in regards to eating practices and weight management. Watching Oprah vow to “never diet again” after discovering Roth’s eating guidelines, we were reminded... Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/oprah-food-and-us http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/3-shopper-marketing-myths With traditional advertising increasingly failing to influence brand preferences at home, shopper marketing has generated a lot of excitement in recent years. Yet, all this hope for a new marketing frontier has not necessarily led to substantial progress in figuring out how to organize shopper marketing... Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/3-shopper-marketing-myths http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/wellness-2010-balance-redefined Those of you who know The Hartman Group know that we are pioneers in the study of health and wellness in American society. First published in 1998, Natural Sensibility: A Study of America’s Changing Culture and Lifestyle, was one of the first publications to invoke the term “wellness,” along... Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/wellness-2010-balance-redefined http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/there-no-magic-bean-for-obesity The Wall Street Journal recently featured an op-ed piece by Thomas Philipson and Richard Posner on the public policy debates surrounding obesity. Through the din of thousands of voices clamoring to be heard in the obesity discourse, Philipson and Posner’s screed achieved a cacophony akin to Phil... Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/there-no-magic-bean-for-obesity http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/feeding-the-great-wellness-transformation As we've mentioned recently, wellness as we know it is currently undergoing a great transformation. Traditional notions of health, wellness and exercise are being redefined as consumers pursue a higher quality of life - through enjoyable experiences, playful exercise and the highest possible quality... Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/feeding-the-great-wellness-transformation http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/road-to-wellness-cultural-traditions-in-2010 With their significance likely lost among the thousands of SKU's packing today's supermarket shelves, many of us may not recall that the less-than-flashy Graham cracker is actually an historic relic of 19th century trends in health and wellness embodied by Reverend Sylvester Graham. Interestingly, although... Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/road-to-wellness-cultural-traditions-in-2010 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/fresh-easy-3-the-final-chapter Today’s Hartbeat represents the final installment in our ongoing Fresh and Easy chronicles. Unlike George Lucas, we’re not going to lie to you and show up several years later with a trio of tales that preceded the Fresh and Easy saga. To that end, it would be nice if what began some two and... Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/fresh-easy-3-the-final-chapter http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/infographic-health-and-wellness-spending As we've said before, all consumers participate in the World of Wellness. In fact, 19% of all monthly spending is reserved for products with a wellness halo. This week's infographic, as part of the launch of our fourth health and wellness syndicated study, explores what wellness spending means... Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/infographic-health-and-wellness-spending http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/infographic-the-road-to-wellness All consumers participate in the World of Wellness. While the past 200 years have seen endless fads come and go (the Cigarette Diet of 1925, anyone?) health and wellness as a trend is without a doubt here to stay. This week's infographic, as part of the launch of our fourth health and wellness... Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/infographic-the-road-to-wellness http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/curious-retail-experiences As many of you likely know firsthand, corporate travel is on the rise again. And if you’ve found yourself returning to busy airports and lounges, you’ve no doubt noticed that these things we used to call magazines now resemble the special advertising inserts that were once used to allow magazines... Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/curious-retail-experiences http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/trend-alert-street-food-gets-real Though it hardly qualifies as fringe, most remain unaware of the surging consumer interest in street food in major metropolitan areas. This month, dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional taco trucks, Los Angeles entrepreneurs rolled out World Fare, the first fully functional restaurant housed... Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/trend-alert-street-food-gets-real http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/inspire-brand-love What characteristics make up a great brand? Along with a fervent group of customers devoted to your products or store (who may even use the word "love" now and then when referring to you), almost every great brand has an authentic founder's origin narrative: Such tales often involve door-to-door sales... Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/inspire-brand-love