After spending the summer as an intern in our Account Services department, Amanda Santos has joined the Inspira team full-time as an Account Coordinator! To get to know the Danbury, CT native better, read along in this edition of the Employee Spotlight.

Although Millennials will always be a valuable target for marketers, a new and equally powerful generation of consumers is emerging: Generation Z. Born between 1996 and 2010, this cohort is often referred to as the iGeneration. They have never known the world without the internet, mobile technology, or opinion-influencing peers. They are unapologetically themselves, endeavor to stand out rather than fit in, and are much more sophisticated in their relationships with brands.

We are excited to announce that Inspira Marketing Group has been selected as a finalist in Digiday’s Worklife Awards in the “Most Committed to the Community/Social Good” category.

Research shows that consumers who participate in rewarding experiential brand engagements are 25% more loyal and 200 times more likely to recommend the brand or product. As consumers grow increasingly skeptical of advertising messages, creating one-to-one engagements builds brand trust. And, when consumers recommend the brands they love to friends and family, 83% of Americans say they are more likely to purchase that product or service.

We’ve all heard about the death of retail. Malls have turned into ghost-towns as iconic department stores are slowly withering away. This year alone, almost 4,500 U.S. store closures have been announced, while only about half that have opened. Analysts attribute retail’s downfall to a number of factors: the effects of the Great Recession, technology (mobile and the rise in e-commerce), increased competition from Amazon, and a shift in consumer spending habits - primarily, investing in experiences over goods.

Years ago, consumers would visit an average of five auto dealerships before purchasing a car. Today, they visit an average of two. Even before consumers sit in the driver’s seat, they’ve already spent hours researching auto brands online. And, by the time they reach the dealer, most have already decided on a brand, or more specifically, a model.

Gaming is growing! In 2013, 58% of U.S. population ages 13+ were into gaming. Today, 66% percent say they regularly play video games. And, by 2020, the global video game market is expected to be worth over $90 billion. Gaming has become an integral part of the mainstream entertainment diet. In fact, 11% of gamers' leisure time is spent playing video games or engaging in eSports. Interestingly, time spent on in-person social activities continues to capture more share among gamers, pointing to a potential opportunity for content creators to further engage gamers through social or group play experiences.

Anyone who follows the world of professional sports can see that the landscape is changing - and rapidly, at that. Audiences like Millennials have come of age and, with that, are wielding their purchasing power. The way that they consume sports is changing, too, with many eschewing cable television for direct-to-consumer offerings and mobile apps.

By 2019, the Millennial population in the U.S. will exceed any other generation in the nation. Although they are often stereotyped as self-obsessed and fiscally irresponsible, Millennials are, in fact, thriftier and more concerned about their financial wellness than their predecessors were at the same age.

Inspira Marketing Group, an award-winning experiential marketing agency, celebrates its tenth anniversary with additions to its roster of world-class clients and talent acquisitions.