New Book Brings Civil War Letters to Light

Although PMP is known for its books on market research and market segments, once in a while we go off topic for a book that excites us. No, it's not about the New York City marathon, but it was written by one of the elite women runners in this year's event.

Katherine M. Aldridge (Katie) brought us a book that includes more than 100 letters from a Union soldier to his wife, written between June 1861 and January 1865.  Katie found these letters, which she painstakingly transcribed and lightly edited over a period of about 3 years, in the carriage house on a historic farm that she had purchased in upstate New York. Imagine, letters that were thrown in a cardboard box and not seen for 150 years.

Keith Poulter, Publisher of North and  South Magazine got an early look at the letters and told us, "These letters are a major find. There are, of course, thousands of letters that have found their way into print. But these are some of the best I have seen. "

No Freedom Shrieker is particularly important because the soldier, Charles Freeman Biddlecom, was the product of a Quaker environment in the communities of Macedon and Farmington, New York, where the abolitionist movement had many leaders and a strong following.

The book is now available here.  Even if you aren't a Civil War buff you probably know someone who is and this is the perfect gift. 

The Asian middle class should be your next target market

President Obama is determined to open Asian markets to American exports, but he needs your help. The best thing American companies can do to facilitate exports into Asian markets is to better understand the wants, needs, and behaviors of Asian consumers.

Fortunately, PMP author, Laurent Sausset can help. His new book, Shopping Behavior in Asia What Retailers Need to Know for Success in the Far East, includes a plethora of tips for retailers and manufacturers of all kinds of products. Besides assessing current behaviors, Sausset offers some important tips for the future as discretionary spending increases for many customers.

He suggests:
Retail brands do not have to be perfect in every way, but they should have something new that shows movement and impetus because that is what Asian shoppers will continue to want.

Retail brands must invest in training their sales associates, specifically in product knowledge and friendliness, two qualities that are often lacking.  Asian customers will appreciate services that make shopping easier, avoid wasting time,  offer assurance about product safety, and provide a harmonious atmosphere in the store.

These concepts have become ingrained among many retail brands in the United States, but they should not be taken for granted in the Far East.  U.S. retail brands and manufacturers need to be prepared to monitor every aspect of their brand's entrance into the region and make sure that standards are set that will assure success.

Chapter 9 of Sausset's book outlines specific steps that retailers can take to create loyal customers in Asia for supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, category killers, leisure products, and soft lines like perfumes and cosmetics.

Why you need to win the Hispanic market

PMP bestseller, M. Isabel Valdes, has been busy editing a new book that includes the expertise of about 20 strategists, researchers, and marketers involved with the Hispanic market. Although the book started out with the title, Hispanic Metrics for Success, Isabel soon learned that the title threw potential readers off--they thought they would be reading yet another book about statistics.

But Isabel's mission in assembling this group of expert collaborators is far beyond statistics. Rather, its purpose is to persuade Boards of Directors, CEOs, CMOs, and CFOs that the Hispanic market presents the most sustainable and viable growth market in the United States for the foreseeable future. 
That's why we retitled the book, WIN the Hispanic Market! Strategies for Business Growth.

The reason for the message is that domestic population growth for the next 40 years will be mainly among minority groups (who will become the majority) and Hispanics are the largest of those groups. Since most business growth in the U.S. depends on consumers, it only stands to  reason that Hispanics need to be a significant part of most companies'  growth opportunities.

You can learn more about the collaborators on the book here as well as review the table of contents. A hint: A pre-publication sale is going on now at Paramount. The book will be out in January, but if you order now, you'll not only get the discount, but also you'll be one of the first to have this critical information for the next decades.