The recession that has gripped much of the world over the last year has caused consumers to seek out entertainment that provides the best value for money.

Is the President Seeking to Connect with Mainstream America by Choosing Bud Light?
The White House announced that the President will be drinking Bud Light at tonight’s much-publicized “Beer Summit.” Consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research shows that Bud Light is also the beer choice for politically mainstream Americans. Bud Light drinkers (ages 21+) have no distinct political profile. They are just as likely as all drinking-age Americans to consider themselves Democrat, Republican, or Independent, and are average for voting in presidential, statewide and local elections. Bud Light drinkers are …

The effects of the recession may be seen on the BBQ grill this Fourth of July. Sales of hot dogs have been going up in recent months while register rings for more expensive bratwurst and knockwurst have been declining, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. This is a reversal of sales trends the past several years.
July 3rd traditionally has the highest sales volume for all three types of meat. Consumers were 50 percent more likely to buy hot dogs during the four-week period ending on July 12, 2008 …

Nick Lake is VP, Group Client Director, The Nielsen Company
Summer’s coming. Beer season. And as grocery retailers develop strategies to help maximize their sales during the 2009 summer selling season, it’s clear there are a number of unanswered questions about the economy that could impact your business: Have job losses begun to stabilize? Which way will the stock market go today? Have we hit rock bottom yet?
If we had a crystal ball, it would be easy to determine the answers to those and other questions about our economy. But it’s …

Despite a fragile economy, consumers will continue to see alcoholic beverages as an affordable indulgence according to Richard Hurst, senior vice president, Beverage Alcohol, The Nielsen Company. “Historical, as well as more recent consumer trends, indicate that alcoholic beverages are much more recession-resistant than many other product categories,” Hurst notes.
In its alcoholic beverage trends outlook for the 2008 holiday season, Nielsen notes a number of factors impacting consumer choices.

U.S. households without children spent 19% more on liquor and wine, and 14% more on vitamins than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
Although households are often assumed to be conventional families with children, most U.S. households do not have children under the age of 18.  In fact, households without children account for roughly 65% of all U.S. households. 
According to Nielsen, these households represent 77.5% of liquor and wine dollar sales, 74% of vitamin dollar sales, and 73.6% of floral/gardening product and tobacco dollar sales.
Other categories skewing to households without children include medications/remedies, …

Anheuser-Busch’s acquisition by Belgian brewer InBev won’t halt the beer maker’s prodigious sports marketing efforts. 
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday that Anheuser-Busch executives sought to calm fears that its sports marketing would be curtailed by InBev.
The story noted that Anheuser-Busch, one of the biggest money machines in the U.S. sports industry, spent approximately $482 million last year on U.S. advertising, according to Nielsen.  About 60% of that — $285 million — paid for TV advertising on sports.