IFR

Results of GfK TEMAX(R) for Q2 2010

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The total market for technical consumer goods ended the second quarter of the year with substantial growth of 4.8%, with total sales worth EUR 9.9 billion. Consumer electronics were the leading category. The information technology, photographic, telecommunication and small domestic appliance segments also exhibited increases.

Canadian Tire launches Major Appliances

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Adding new competition to the White Goods market, Canadian Tire entered the scene this past week in limited stores debuting key appliance SKUs from INGLIS. The month-long promotion hits 9 stores in Ontario and 2 in British Columbia. Read the release for more information, along with the flyer images.

Amazon: E-books Will Overtake Paperbacks by the End of 2011...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

With the release of their latest $139 E-Book, Amazon announced a prediction that they will likely sell more E-books than paperbacks before end of 2011. While this prediction sounds incredible, it's plausible given the recent rise of E-books in the market place with respect to the various players. IFR tracks the E-book category on Retail Shelves, Print Ads and on the Web. Contact us for more information.

Buying an LCD Television in Argentina or Brazil costs 42% more...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

According to a new research study conducted by IFR South America, buying an LCD Television in Argentina or Brazil will cost consumers more, up to 42% more than the median for the whole region.

Notebooks and Netbooks Average Pricing Reported By Confortique Magazine

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Notebook and Netbook sales grew by 27% in 2009 compared to 2008. Confortique Magazine analyzed Notebook and Netbook average pricing by screen size from March 2009 to March 2010 in their May 2010 issue.

IFR Client Breakfast (Milan, Italy)

Mon, 31 May 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Looking to optimize your performance in retail stores? You can with IFR and GfK. Join us on June 22, 2010 at 0900 hrs at Melia Hotel, Via Masaccio 19, Milan Italy. Click on the link to view the invite and register!

IFR Launches New Logo

Wed, 12 May 2010 19:14:57 GMT

For over 30 years IFR has released dynamic tools, created new services and expanded into emerging markets. Now, we felt it was time to update our logo.

IFR Argentina: Samsung a Fast Shooter in Digital Camera Advertising...

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:15:07 GMT

During the past year, Samsung has shown the highest growth in Advertising brand share for Compact Digital Cameras in Argentina. Samsung has increased their brand share in Print Ads by 11.2% -- signaling a giant step forward. The attached Press Release is issued in both English and Spanish language.

IFR Hungary: Interview in RT Magazine

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:46:18 GMT

In the latest issue of RT Magazine in the article titled Tenyek, RT discusses the critical role of IFR in the retail marketplace with Roland Haidar and Gabor Szucs of IFR Central Europe.

Sears USA Begins New Advertising Trend...

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:50:14 GMT

For several years, Sears USA has dropped Weekly Print Ads on Sunday, like most national retailers. Beginning January 29, 2010 Sears began dropping their Print Ads on Fridays with the week-long sale to start on Friday through Thursday. Is this a start to to a new trend in the USA for national retailers? IFR will keep you posted...

In-Depth In Germany: CE-Markt Collaboration with IFR

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:50:37 GMT

For 2010, CE-Markt begins to integrate IFR market analysis into its publications providing readers with exclusive content. Click on this article for more information, including the first article.

IFR Print Ads Reveal: Boxing Day Knocks Out Black Friday

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:19:50 GMT

Custom North America Analysis -- with two major USA and Canada holidays completed, IFR found Canadian retailers were very competitive during Boxing Week compared to USA Black Friday week, especially now that the Canadian dollar is teetering on par with the US dollar.

12 Days of Trends - Recap

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:32:15 GMT

If you missed any of the IFR 12 Days of Trends, you are in luck... Click on the link to view all of the exciting stories from the past 12 Days in one article.

IFR moves Netherlands office to Amstelveen.

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:13:00 GMT

After 10 years at the Van Eeghenstraat in Amsterdam, IFR is pleased to announce that as per November 1, 2009 it has moved to the GfK building in Amstelveen. This will bring us another step closer to a more intense collaboration demanded by the constantly changing markets.

IFR expands coverage for Print Ads in Central Europe

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:51:49 GMT

Beginning November 2009, IFR has expanded coverage for Print Ads tracking in Central Europe. Bulgaria and Serbia are two new additions to the family offering clients with new possibilities for Central European Ad Tracking services. IFR Ad Tracking services continue to dominate the landscape in geographies where retailers view Print Ads as essential marketing tools for communicating special offers.

IFR in TWICE - Apple, Element Gain MP3 Shelf Share

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:08:17 GMT

TWICE magazine reports: Apple and Element-branded MP3 players and portable media players (PMPs) gained shelf share at the expense of many major competing brands during the first nine months of 2009. Click on the link to read the full article.

Retailers Flip Switch on 42" Television 46" Takes Lead For First Time

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:25:18 GMT

Analysis of Flat Screen Shelf Share by IFR Monitoring has revealed new trends at Canadian retail...

Klipsch and Polk Audio Lead USA Speaker Advertising

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:35:42 GMT

While the Home Audio Speaker segment doesn't lack in diversity of products, IFR Monitoring Print Advertisement Tracking shows Klipsch and Polk Audio brands are seen more often than others when it comes to print advertising for Home Audio Speakers.

Digital Cameras Shelf Share Shows Dynamic Activity in Argentina and Mexico

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:27:25 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports significant changes in the Digital Camera landscape in both Argentina and Mexico from May to July 2009. For more details, click on the link to the release.

Back To School Top 20 Lowest Priced Netbooks and Notebooks

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:18:16 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports the Top 20 lowest priced advertised Netbook and Notebooks across 6 countries; USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile. This report comes just in time for Back to School in some of the countries.

As the month of August 2009 comes to a close, thoughts of school come to the forefront and so does the task of purchasing supplies, electronic or otherwise, for class.

Netbook advertising has become viral these past few months, and IFR Monitoring has found that Netbook pricing has reached new lows, translating to a more competitive atmosphere in print advertising for manufacturers and retailers alike.

In the attached link is the full release detailing the Top 20 Lowest Prices for USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile as recorded from national, regional and local advertisements during the month of August 2009-to-date.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services from USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile. IFR Monitoring covers the Top major newspapers across these countries, including in-store and key mailbox locations from the Top markets where applicable.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical Advertising, Internet and Shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 60 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

For questions, please contact James Kennedy at JKennedy@ifrmonitoring.com

LG Doubles USA Mobile Phone Print Advertising Share in One Month

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:42:01 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports print advertising in the USA dominated by LG in June 2009 for Mobile Phones.

In the month that saw the hyped launch of both the Apple iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre, LG took first spot in Mobile Phone brand advertising share with a staggering 48%, doubling its share from 24% in May 2009. This is the highest monthly share a brand has held during 2009.

In second place holding 19.2% share for print advertising was Waterloo Ontario based RIM, which also held first rank in both April (27.5%) and February (31.9%) of this year.

The top advertised brand back in May 2009, Samsung (32%), took a sharp drop of almost 20% and placed third in June with an ad share of 12.4%.

IFR Monitoring reported single advertising share digits for the rest of the pack. Motorola was fourthwith 5.1% followed by Nokia with 5%. Apple, Palm and HTC followed with shares 2% and lower.

Top 12 Advertised Mobile Phone Models Dominated by LG and RIM ;LG and RIM ruled the top 12 advertised Mobile Phone models, mostly due to Verizon’s promotional push for these two brands during the month of June 2009.

LG took 9 of the top 12 advertised models in June 2009, sharing the spotlight with RIM, advertising 3 of its BlackBerry models in 3 positions.

Rounding up the top 5 Mobile Phone models: LG’s enV3 VX9200 took first place with a 7.5% advertising share at Verizon with an advertised price of $129.99. In second place: LG enV Touch VX11000 at 7.3% advertising share with a price of $149.99 through $219.99 at Verizon. Following were RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8330 (5.1%) at $169.99 and the BlackBerry Storm 9530 with 4.6% at $199.99 through $269.99, and in fifth place the LG VX5500 at $79.99 with 4.5%.

Verizon Takes Over 54% of Carrier Advertising Share
Verizon was the most advertised carrier through their corporate and retail store advertisements (Best Buy, Target, etc.) with an overall carrier advertising share of 54.2% in the Mobile Phones category in June 2009.

Verizon has held first place in carrier Share for all of 2009 ranging from the high 30’s to high 40’s, leaving its closest competitors behind with print advertising carrier shares of 22% or lower

A distant second was AT&T with 16.2%, followed by SPRINT (7.4%). Fourth and fifth places were held by T-Mobile and US Cellular with 5.2% and 3%, respectively.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 100 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Volker Loetfering at vloetfering@ifrmonitoring.com

HP Hits 40 Percent Shelf Share for Multifunction Devices in Mexico

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:32:55 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports significant changes in the Multifunction Device landscape throughout retailers in Mexico.

For the first time ever recorded by IFR Monitoring, HP exceeded 40% share of shelf across Mexico retailers for MFD (Multifunction Devices). HP has hovered in the mid to high 30-range since 2007. In July 2009 HP broke the 40% share of shelf barrier to hold 40.2% of all MFDs at Mexico retailers.

While this is a first for HP, the landscape for MFDs is changing. Since August 2008 EPSON has slowly climbed from 12.9% share of shelf to 17.8% in July 2009, ranking second overall.

BROTHER, CANON and LEXMARK are strong contenders and very active players in the MFD market place. In July 2009 another record was broken; BROTHER reached 10.8% share of shelf, the highest share ever recorded for the brand. BROTHER has also increased its share within a multitude of retailers in July 2009 making it a must-watch brand as the year progresses.

CANON, another strong brand in the segment has continued to slowly decline in share almost every month since March 2008. The brand held a strong 18.3% share then, and now holds 11%, a decrease that has allowed HP and others gain traction. CANON has also played a dynamic role within retailers these past few months. For example, in April 2009, CANON held a strong 13% share of shelf at Office Max, just three points off from second rank to a never-before-seen low of 3.7% in July 2009, placing fifth.

LEXMARK has been a consistent player in the MFD segment taking 13.1% share in July 2009, a decrease of 2% from the same month a year ago. The brand has stayed within a few percentage points of its current share level for most of 2008 and 2009 YTD.

KODAK entered the MFD market in 2008 and has steadily increased share by edging out historical players like OKI, SAMSUNG, and XEROX. The brand currently holds a total share of 3.9%.

Within Retailers, Shelf-Share Is More Dynamic.

Within specific retailers, the shelf-share becomes more dynamic. In Office Max HP hit 53.7% share of shelf for the first time in July 2009, a significant increase from 42.7% share just three months prior. The activity for CANON, EPSON, LEXMARK and others is also just as dynamic. In April 2009, Canon held a strong 13% third place share, but fell to fifth place with 3.7% share in July 2009.

The market truly is dynamic and exciting for MFD, and at the retailer Liverpool the proof is in the share. In April 2009, CANON held the largest share of MFD with 38.9%, but has since dropped to 29% giving way to HP and EPSON.

At Office Depot, HP’s share dropped eight points to 33% in May 2009 and hasn’t recovered since, while BROTHER has continued to increase by one to two percentage points each month holding a wavering second rank.

In North America A Diverse Picture for HP

In Canada and the USA, HP’s shelf-share is quite different. In Canada, HP’s MFD share has remained in the low 30’s since February 2008 while in the USA, HP’s share ranged from 41-44% for the same time period. This diverse picture exists mainly because BROTHER, CANON, LEXMARK and SAMSUNG have stronger shares in Canada. For MFD, a key dynamic between both Canada and the USA rests mainly in a war between CANON and BROTHER for second spot.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Shelf Tracking service. IFR Monitoring currently covers over 30 major retailers across 9 key cities in Mexico. In Latin and South America, IFR operates in over 8 countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay

For questions, please contact James Kennedy at JKennedy@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Monitoring Reports: HD Camcorder Advertised Prices in Freefall

FArcieri@ifrmonitoring.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:22:09 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports that average prices in the USA for the Top 3 advertised brands of HD Camcorders have dipped significantly over the past year, driving average prices for the category down to new lows. For Sony, Canon, and JVC, quarterly average prices have consistently declined in each of the last 4 quarters.

Sony, the advertised leader in the category, with a 52% share of the HD Camcorder segment, recorded the largest decline in HD Camcorder average pricing since Q3 2008. While Sony’s average price during the period was $896, it has dropped 46% to $480 for Q2 2009.

While Canon, the second most advertised brand of HD Camcorders, also saw a decline in average price per quarter, the downturn was far less severe, a 21% decline. Their average price during Q3 2008 was $879 and has since fallen to $692 for Q2 2009.

JVC also managed to avoid as big a landslide as Sony. In Q3 2008 their average price as $868, and has fallen 35% to $561 in Q2 2009. Samsung was the only brand in the Top 5 that managed to keep their average pricing up versus Q3 2008, while virtually all others fell.

Eight additional brands advertised in the HD Camcorder segment since Q3 2008 adding more competition, helping to drive prices even lower. AIPTEK, INSIGNIA, DXG and others are approaching or have already approached the sub-$99 level at retail heating things up in the category.

For questions, please contact Fernando Arcieri at FArcieri@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Monitoring Reports: Verizon Takes 2nd Spot in Netbook Advertising

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:11:17 GMT

During Q2 2009 Verizon Retailers took the 2nd spot in retail newspaper advertising of Netbooks with screen sizes 10.2 inches or smaller, according to IFR Monitoring.

Verizon, the wireless service provider normally known for its mobile smartphone offerings, is a new entrant in the rapidly growing Netbook retail market. It had 7.1 % share of all retail Netbook ads with the HP Mini 1151NR at $199.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and 2 year mobile activation on a 3G Broadband Plan in May and June 2009.

Only Best Buy trumped Verizon with a share of 28.2%, keeping its number one position in share of newspaper advertising for Netbooks, which it also held in Q1 2009 with 28.5%.

Rounding up the Top 5 retailers in Q2 2009 are Radio Shack with 6.8%, H.H. Gregg with 6.2% and Staples 6%, respectively. By contrast, the biggest drop in advertising share of Netbooks was by Fry’s Electronics. While being the second largest advertiser in Q1 2009 with almost 11%, Fry’s took a sharp drop down to 10th place in Q2 2009 with just 3.5%.

On a most-advertised model level, Verizon’s HP Mini 1151NR offering was first with an advertising share of 7.1%in Q2 2009. This was followed by Acer's heavily advertised Aspire One A150-1635 with 7%, promoted by 11 retailers lead by Staples with a net price of $299.98 and a lowest net price of 248.88 by Florida based BrandsMart USA. The third most advertised Netbook model was the HP Mini 1030NR with 5.8% exclusively by Best Buy at $329.99 in June.

IFR Monitoring recorded a steep increase in the advertising of Netbooks with screen sizes 10.2 inches or smaller since 2008. Beginning with a share of 2.8% within all Notebook advertising, Netbooks grew to a sizable advertising share of 12.7% in the first half of 2009.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical advertising, Internet and shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 60 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 100 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Volker Loetfering at VLoetfering@ifrmonitoring.com

Future Shop Takes Top Spot in Q2, Ousting Other Major Canadian Retailers in Coffee Maker Advertising

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:08:46 GMT

For the first time this year, Future Shop’s increased advertising of Small Domestic appliances seems to be working for the retailer, especially for the Coffee Maker category. Future Shop ranked first among retailers in April, May and June 2009 toppling Sears, Canadian Tire, Home Outfitters, and The Bay.

In April Future Shop held 18% of all Coffee Maker advertising, 4 points ahead of Canadian Tire, and 6 points ahead of Sears. In May, they increased their share more taking 20% of all advertising in the category pushing 10 points ahead of both Sears and Canadian Tire. Future Shop climbed even higher in June taking 23.6% share of advertising, a full 20 points ahead of Canadian Tire, and 5 points ahead of Sears.

Out of the Top 10 Advertised Retailers, Future Shop and The Bay were the only two who increased their Ad Spend during the first 6 months of 2009 in the category. Future Shop ran 45% more ads in 2009 (Jan-Jun) versus the same period in 2008, and The Bay ran 24% more ads while Sears and Canadian Tire dropped their advertising by 17%.

For Brand activity at retail during the first half of 2009, Future Shop devoted the largest advertising share to CUISINART (28%). The CUISINART brand ranks top in the category during January to June 2009 holding 17% with no less than 30 brands advertised during the time period.

IFR Monitoring also looked at category exposure. 23 retailers pictured Coffee Makers on the fronts of their flyers/circulars in 2008, yet in 2009 (up to end June), only 8 retailers have continued to feature Coffee Makers up front. A noticeable strategy by HBC shows both Zellers and The Bay featuring Coffee Makers on the fronts of their flyers for the first time in 2009, when both skipped it altogether in 2008. These HBC retailers are the only 2 to being advertising Coffee Makers on the fronts of their flyers during the first half of 2009.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical advertising and shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 40 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 40 major newspapers across the Canada, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets. For further information contact James Kennedy at JKennedy@ifrmonitoring.com

Price Volatility Still Exists in 10+ Megapixel Compact Cameras

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:19:43 GMT

IFR Monitoring reports price volatility still exists in 10+ megapixel cameras even after the 12 megapixel ceiling has been hit by retailers. Over an 18 month time lapse analysis of 10+ megapixel compact camera advertising in Canada overall average pricing dropped 23%.

Wal-Mart broke the barrier with the lowest price yet at $78 in May 2009 with the POLAROID i1035. Future Shop followed in June 2009 with $79 but for two different models; the OLYMPUS FE25 and the INSIGNIA NSDSC-10, their own branded product.

The time lapse (shown here) illustrates the Top 5 retailers in Canada for 10+ Megapixel Compact Camera advertising along with their average prices over time. Henry’s has consistently remained above the national average (gray line) focusing on higher price-points, while Best Buy and Future Shop have flirted above and below. Calgary-based Visions shows a clear departure from the rest giving way to lower prices and higher volatility.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical advertising and shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 40 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 40 major newspapers across the Canada, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets. For further information contact Steve Baker at Sbaker@ifrmonitoring.com

Sony Trumps Headphones Advertising While Competitive Brands Battle

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:32:18 GMT

With the first half of 2009 in the books, Sony continues its reign as the most heavily advertised brand of headphones with a share over 33% for 6 of the past 7 months.

While Bose headphones were also heavily advertised in 2008, the brand has dropped off significantly in the category throughout 2009. Their average brand share has gone from 12.3% in 2008 to 7.1% YTD 2009 June, and IFR Print Tracking services show competing brands have likely benefited from this.

JVC was the first to take advantage of the gap and made history at the same time. Their brand share jumped to a massive 42.8% in February 2009, making this the highest percentage JVC has ever reached in the category.

Sennheiser was next to benefit with big months in both March and May recording brand shares of 12.4% and 25.8% respectively. Skullcandy also made its way into the ranks in April at 16.8% brand share, following it up with an even bigger month of June at 22.3%.

While Sony has established itself as the dominant brand for print advertising in the category, 2009 has proven to be a year of fluctuation and opportunity for competing brands. With the second half of the year already underway, there’s again more excitement in the headphones category.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical advertising and shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 40 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 100 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Fernando Arcieri at FArcieri@ifrmonitoring.com

Bill Smith Takes Full Advantage of Change In Retail Market for TVs 40” and Up

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:42:51 GMT

Circuit City was a major player in the consumer electronics market for many years, so it should come as no surprise that their departure would leave a significant opportunity gap for other retailers. IFR reports that Bill Smith took advantage of this and doubled its share in the TV segment for 40 inches and up from 6.25% to 12.7% in the past year.

Aside from minor fluctuations and decreases in share from 4 other market leaders in this segment, Bill Smith’s increase in advertising for 40” plus TVs in the past year is likely to leave a lasting impression among its competitors.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical advertising and shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 40 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 100 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Fernando Arcieri at FArcieri@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Monitoring Reports New Advertising Leader in Front Load Laundry Segment

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:38:14 GMT

IFR reports two new changes to the Front Load laundry segment. First-up, Frigidaire ‘cleans house’ by taking over as leader for distinct ad placements for 2009 YTD June, leading Whirlpool 4 out of 6 months. In 2008, Frigidaire led by just a fraction in only 1 month (October 2008). Does this new change represent a shift in Frigidaire’s ad-spend aggressiveness for 2009?

The second significant change is that the Front Load laundry segment currently holds a strong year-over-year increase of 10%+ in every month of 2009 to-date. With many other categories showing decreases, this is a segment to watch!

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 100 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets. For further information contact Steve Baker at sbaker@ifrmonitoring.com

Portable DVD Player Prices Continue Decline

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:20:16 GMT

In a recent report issued by IFR Monitoring, average prices for Portable DVD Players have dropped drastically over the past year. Sony, Philips, and Toshiba, the 3 Print Advertising leaders in the market, have all recorded decreases of $50 or more. Sony recorded an average price of $178 for their Portable DVD Players in June 2008, but that figure dropped to as low as $128 in April 2009. Similarly, while Philips recorded an average price of $152 in June 2008, it reached as low as $101 in March 2009.

Toshiba recorded the largest decrease of all with their average price for Portable DVD Players plummeting by $71. With a starting average of $178 in June 2008, Toshiba dropped to as low as $107 in March 2009. While such decreases in price aren’t a new phenomenon, it is most definitely indicative of an emerging technology entering the category.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 102 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Fernando Arcieri at FArcieri@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Reports April 2009 as biggest month for KitchenAid Dishwasher Advertising at Sears in USA

Thu, 14 May 2009 12:38:42 GMT

During April 2009, IFR recorded KitchenAid's brand share at 25.4% within Sears' advertising in the USA. This represents the highest share KitchenAid has ever had at the retailer in the past 6+ years for Dishwasher advertising.

April 2009 is also the first month in 2 years that Sears skipped advertising the Whirlpool brand in Dishwashers. The last time Sears skipped on Whirlpool Dishwashers was in February 2007.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 102 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Noemi VanDyk at NVanDyk@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Reports Advertised Pricing in Various Latin American Markets varies from Country to Country for Same SKU

Wed, 13 May 2009 17:49:52 GMT

During the month of March 2009, IFR reported large price fluctuations for various models across 4 countries in Latin America. To allow for analysis, IFR aligned currencies to the US dollar.

As an example, IFR analyzed the pricing for the Sony VAIO notebook (model VGN NS110FH CE/2.0/2GB/160/VB).

In Peru the average advertised price was the highest at $876 USD, similar to the $838 USD price in Argentina. Chile had a more aggressive average advertised price of $758 USD, while Mexico had the lowest average price of $645 USD a full 26% lower price than Peru.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Latin American Print Tracking services. IFR Monitoring covers up to 8 countries in Latin America.

For questions, please contact Jose Gey at JGey@ifrmonitoring.com

USA Retailers Compete for PND Share

Tue, 12 May 2009 15:46:19 GMT

With Circuit City now out off the map, IFR recorded growth of USA PND Print Advertising across various retailers during Q1 2009. Retailers like 6th Ave and BrandsMart have journeyed to new heights, whereas Best Buy and Fry's Electronics have either held a neutral path or had shown decline.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 102 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Steve Baker at SBaker@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Releases USA Home Theatre Tag Cloud of Instant Rebates for March 2009

Wed, 06 May 2009 15:33:06 GMT

For the month of March 2009, IFR has provided a Tag Cloud showing Instant Rebates on Home Theatre In A Box promotions found for USA print advertising.

Across all retailers, in all markets tracked, IFR reports Panasonic showing the most frequent Instant Rebates of $115 and $200. Samsung and Sony also follow with strong Instant Rebates during the month of March with $30 and $100 respectively.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 102 major newspapers across the USA, including 20 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions, please contact Noemi VanDyk at NVandyk@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Reports Bissell leading in USA Advertising for Vacuum Cleaners

Fri, 01 May 2009 17:25:06 GMT

For the first time since December 2008, Bissel has picked up the lead in advertising across the USA.

Bissell, Dyson and Hoover continue to compete for advertising shares each month. In March 2009, Bissell and Hoover made significant gains while Dyson fell 6 points, it's lowest in 3 months.

Every day IFR tracks hundreds of Consumer Electronics, Small Domestics, Major Appliances and IT/Photo product categories in countries across the globe.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring. For questions, please contact Steve Baker at SBaker@ifrmonitoring.com

Seven Retailers Capture 50% of Major Appliance Print Advertising Landscape in Canada

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:59:43 GMT

For the first 3 months of 2009, seven retailers controlled just over 50% of the Major Appliance print advertising space in Canada. The same group of seven retailers held 54% of Major Appliance advertising during 2008.

Five of the retailers are regional players, and two are national. Sears holds position #1 for Major Appliance advertising and Bad Boy, a retailer from Toronto holds the #2 spot.

Analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Print Tracking service. IFR Monitoring covers the Top 40 major newspapers across Canada, including 18 key mailbox locations from the Top markets.

For questions or for more information, please contact Noemi VanDyk at NVandyk@ifrmonitoring.com

IFR Reports Growth for Top TV Brands in Year-Over-Year Advertising Picture

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:14:04 GMT

During the first 3 months of 2009, IFR examined selected TV Brands and gauged the advertising activity against the same period in 2008.

SAMSUNG Televisions were advertised in 11 more retailers during Q1 2009 versus the same period in 2008.

SONY, LG and TOSHIBA also were advertised in more retailers during Q1 2009.

On the reverse, SHARP, PANASONIC and MITSUBISHI had shown retailer declines during Q1 2009 signifying that less retailers were advertising their Television products.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring.

For questions, please contact James Kennedy at JKennedy@ifrmonitoring.com