Get Started - Marketing II - ResearchGuides at Columbia College Chicago Library

Library Updates

Demographics Books

Community Sourcebook of ZIP Code Demographics

Find population and income demographics as well as spending potential indices for any ZIP Code in the United States.

General characteristics of people with various interests (e.g. stamp collectors or extreme sports enthusiasts) and specific consumer segment profiles (e.g. single females, 18-34 years old).

American Generations: Who They Are and How They Live

Identifies six American generations: iGeneration, Millennial, X, Baby Boom, Swing and World War II. Includes statistics about several aspects of life such as parenting, education, work and housing.

The Millennials: Americans Born 1977 to 1994

Provides a demographic and socioeconomic profile of the Millennial generation. Includes statistics on the education, living arrangements, labor force participation, health, incomes, spending, and time use of the youngest generation and its parents.

Generation X: Americans Born 1965 to 1976

Includes demographic and lifestyle data on Generation X. Provides the latest statistics on the labor force participation, living arrangements, incomes, health, spending, and wealth of this generation.

The Baby Boom: Americans Born 1946 to 1964

Reveals the unique characteristics of Baby Boomers and explains how those characteristics are remaking American society. Includes the latest statistics on the labor force participation, living arrangements, incomes, health, spending, and wealth of the generation.

Older Americans: A Changing Market

Provides the latest statistics on the health, living arrangements, incomes, spending, and wealth of the Swing and World War II generations.

American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns

Statistics about American life. Subject categories include education, health, housing, labor, living arrangements, income, spending, and more

Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What

Spending patterns of American across market segments and demographic criteria, e.g. spending on hair care products by income level.

Best Customers: Demographics of Consumer Demand

Household spending on hundreds of products and services by age, income, household type, and region. Identifies which households spend the most on a product or service (i.e. the best customers) and which control the largest percentage of total spending for that product or service (i.e. the biggest customers)

Who's Buying by Race and Hispanic Origin

Detailed statistics on the amounts racial and ethnic groups in the US spend on thousands of products.

Comments (0)

Library Search

Comments (0)

Use these sources...

Use the sources listed to find answers to the questions below.

America's Newspapers: Illinois Newspapers
Business Insights: Essentials and Global
(Formerly Business & Company Resource Center)
Business Source Complete
Census 2010
Census Tract
Chicago Artists Resource
A program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs that describes the landscape of opportunity for Chicago artists working in Dance, Literary, Music, Theater and Visual Arts.
Chicago Tribune (1985-present)
Illinois Arts Council
Includes directories of Illinois artists and arts groups, grant information, resources for artists.
Illinois Newspapers (Lexis Nexis Academic)
NAICS Code Look-up
National Arts Policy Database
Includes research abstracts, news articles, project profiles, and sample documents on topics related to arts policy.
Statistical Abstract of the United States

Comments (0)

Questions

Industry

What is the name of your client's industry? Is there a good NAICS code for your client's industry?

Are there any alternative NAICS codes you might research as well?

Use Business Source Complete to research this industry:

Search for the name of your client's industry
Look at relevant articles to locate potential NAICS codes for the industry
Do a new search for the industry using the drop-down menu to select NAICS code and pasting in the code for your industry
Narrow your search using the limiters on the left side (options include full-text, date range, subject, geography, etc)
Locate and email yourself at least 3 articles, reports or profiles that relate to your client's industry

Use Business Insights to research this industry:

Click the Industry Search link, the paste in your NAICS code (select NAICS) and search for industry profiles
Search by industry name for relevant articles
Locate and email yourself at least 1 report or article that relates to your client's industry

Competitors

Who are your client's competitors? Brainstorm for at least three competitors - use any sources at your disposal. (Google, Yelp, Arts Directories, etc)

Use America's Newspapers: Illinois Newspapers and Illinois Newspapers (Lexis Nexis Academic) to locate any newspaper articles about your client, your client's industry, and possible competitors. Email yourself at least three relevant articles about your client and a competitor.

Use the Chicago Tribune to locate any newspaper articles about your client, your client's industry, and possible competitors. Email yourself at least three relevant articles.

Demographics

Where is your client located? Who is your client's target audience? Where is the target audience geographically located? Using the 2010 Census locate the population and demographic information for your client's audience. Use the Demographics Books in the left box to find characteristics of consumers by generation and what they purchase.

For detailed Census information, find the census tract for a specific area. Use American Factfinder to locate the specific census tract:

Within American Factfinder, click Geographies Tab
Click the Address tab and enter the address for your client
Locate the Census Tract and click on it to see detailed information on population

SWOT

Search for your client, the industry and any competitors in the newspaper databases (America's Newspapers: Illinois Newspapers, Illinois Newspapers (Lexis Nexis Academic) and Chicago Tribune) and business databases (Business Source Complete and Business Insights) for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

For Strengths try searching for: strengths, assests, positive, vitality, stability, advantage
For Weaknesses try searching for: weaknesses, difficulties, faults, deficiencies, instabilities, vulnerabilities, disadvantage
For Opportunities try searching for: opportunities, possibilities, opening, chance, strategy
For Threats try searching for: threats, risks, challenges, hazards, danger, gamble

Comments (0)