American Consumer Project

From October 2011 to October 2012, Ad Age is following 11 households in 11 counties to examine consumer behavior, demographic and economic change.

The New Necessities: What Products and Services Can Consumers Not Live Without?

The New Necessities: What Products and Services Can Consumers Not Live Without?

For marketers, a question is: How do you move your product from a 'want' to a 'need' and then keep it from slipping back into a 'could live without'?

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How to Become a 'Necessity' for Four Different Consumers

We look at how the various members of our American Consumer Project sample determine what a necessity is and how marketers can position their products as such at a time when every new item purchased is a trade-off for something else.

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What's Left of the Middle Class Is More Diverse, Harder Working -- and Still Shrinking

What's Left of the Middle Class Is More Diverse, Harder Working -- and Still Shrinking

America's backbone is bending toward the breaking point. In the last decade, consumers overall cut spending 4.2% in 2010 dollars, the brunt of that was felt by the middle class, which slashed spending between 10% and 13%

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The American Consumer Project: Meet our Families

Ad Age's Year-Long Look at the How Changing American Demographics and Economics Are Impacting Consumers and How We Reach Them

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