He loves Armani, is seen just as often near a catwalk as competing in sport, confesses an adulation for Kylie Minogue, even designs his own jewellery. But he’s not gay.
So Ian Thorpe told Australia in a radio interview last November. With interests outside the domain of the traditional Aussie macho male, Thorpe talked about his sexuality for the first time. He was flattered that the gay community identified with him, he said, but he was, in fact, heterosexual.
“You know, I’m a little bit different to what most people would consider being an Australian male,” Thorpe told ABC Radio. But he’s not that different at all. Men – of all sexualities – are taking a greater interest in their appearance. They go to hairdressers rather than barbers, avoid using soap because it’s too harsh on their skin, visit the gym instead of playing sport and even have difficulty deciding what to wear.
They’re spending their time differently…
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In as little as three yearsÂ’ time, older consumers will have become the mainstream market in the UK, accounting for over half of expenditure on food, drink and household products – a revelation that has significant implications for food manufacturers who must ensure that they cater for this increasingly important sector of society.
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Nobody seems to doubt the usefulness of Wi-Fi for the modern mobile worker – though some suggest portable may be a better phrase than mobile.
But semantics aside the one question few appear to be raising relates to the locations companies are choosing. Trains and planes make perfect sense, for obvious reasons, but some businesses appear to be undermining their very business models by jumping on the Wi-Fi bandwagon.
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Powerhouses like Kroger Co., 7-Eleven Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and others are throwing their weight behind low-carb products, hoping to boost their bottom lines while shrinking those of their shoppers.
Restaurants like the Vineyards Cafe in Farmington Hills are drawing crowds for their low-carb sandwiches. They are ideal because the sandwich is wrapped in lettuce instead of bread, said Vineyards owner Ron Asmar.
“It’s so filling it’s unbelievable,” said Asmar, a former yo-yo dieter who has been on a no-carbs regimen for five years.
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Restaurants are responding to a powerful consumer trend: a desire for fresh, made-to-order food, delivered quickly, at prices just above those at fast-food eateries, and served in an atmosphere that makes customers want to hang around.
Panera is one such example that has been spotlighted recently in the book Trading Up: The New American Luxury, by Michael J. Silverstein and Neil Fiske, based on studies by the Boston Consulting Group about the changing preferences of middle-income consumers.
The consultants define “new luxury” as the willingness of those with average household incomes of $50,000 a year to pay higher prices for select higher-quality products that give them emotional satisfaction. In a recent survey of middle-income Americans, the consulting group found that 85 percent said they spent more for premium-quality products. The reasons vary, but they boil down to: It makes them feel better and makes their lives more enjoyable.
