Joint Study Finds PANKs® Spend $9 Billion on Children Annually
11/30/2012 5:35:00 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
CEO, Savvy Auntie
(917) 449-2917
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
Joint Study Finds PANKs® - “Professional Aunts No Kids” –
Spend $9 Billion on Toys and Gifts for Children Annually
23 million untapped “Savvy Aunties” are primed to be engaged by brands
at the holiday gift-giving season and all year-round
– Savvy Auntie® and Weber Shandwick Research ‘The Power of the PANK’ –
NEW YORK, December 3, 2012 – A new joint national study released today by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research reveals that PANKs - or Professional Aunts No Kids – are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle, primed and ready to be engaged by brands. Yet, this powerful market remains virtually untapped.
PANKs, the emerging demographic of child-loving women who do not have children of their own, was coined and first brought to the attention of marketers by Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie. The sizeable niche represents approximately 23 million Americans, a population size comparable to Black/African American adults (28 million) and a segment larger than other highly sought-after niche markets, such as the LGBT market, estimated to be 16 million. One in five women is a PANK.
“Move over soccer moms. There’s a new group of smart, powerful women spenders out there. PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing the best for the kids in their lives,” says Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick. “It’s a perfect marketing trifecta.” Gaines-Ross notes that the marketing world has long and rightfully focused its resources on moms. “But,” she says, “Our deep dive into social networks has revealed vibrant communities of women who aren’t moms. They are groups – like PANKs – that are well worth a marketer’s attention.”
In 2008, Notkin launched Savvy Auntie, the only multiplatform lifestyle brand designed specifically for this powerful segment. As the leader of this tribe, Notkin has become the national authority on, and gatekeeper to, this multi-billion dollar demographic. Earlier this year, in order to more deeply explore PANKs and quantitatively address the business opportunity they present, Notkin teamed up with Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm.
The result is ‘
The Power of the PANK,’ the first study released from ‘Digital Women Influencers,’ a survey of 2,000 North American women conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research to identify segments who not only have gone unnoticed in the marketing mix but who are influential in their own right. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Weber Shandwick on this study to be able to quantitatively confirm the generous contributions of this under-targeted niche. While parents are stretched to their limits, PANKs are able – and happy – to offer support to the children in their lives in meaningful ways. They may be secondary caregivers, but with their emotional, financial and material gifts – not to mention their quality time and positive influence – PANKs play a primary role in the vitality of the American Family Village,” says Notkin. “Plus,” Notkin adds, “PANKs demonstrate sizeable market influence in CPG, home, and service categories traditionally marketed mainly to moms.”
The joint study,
available free for download, provides marketers and communicators with key quantitative findings proving PANKs’ value and outlines ways to successfully engage them. According to Notkin, PANKs are the next marketing frontier because while half of all PANKs believe that society overlooks women who don’t have children, there is great opportunity for brands to recognize and acknowledge these women at the holiday gift-giving season, and all year-round.
Why Marketers Are Paying Attention:Weber Shandwick identified 14 Principles of PANKs – compelling reasons why PANKs are integral to any consumer segment-driven marketing plan. Some key characteristics include:
• PANKs are an attractive demographicPANKs have a higher rate of full-time employment than the average woman and an annual household income that matches that of the average woman. These facts are impressive since PANKs are more than twice as likely as other women to be single. It means that PANKs don’t have to stretch their income among as many people. This household and income profile points to discretionary income as a compelling differentiator from other women. Additionally, PANKs are younger. The average age of a PANK is 36 (vs. 46 years for overall women), a highly desirable age cohort for marketers because it suggests that PANKs potentially have a network of friends and family members with growing families.
• PANKs spend money on kids and assist kids’ parents financially.PANKs estimate that they spent an average of $387 on each child in their lives during the past year, with 76% having spent more than $500 per child. This translates to an annual PANK buying power estimate averaging roughly $9 billion. PANKs also offer economic assistance by providing kids with things kids’ parents sometimes cannot or will not offer them and many have given gifts to parents to help them provide for their kids.
• PANKs are avid info-sharers.PANKs are sharing information on a wide range of products and services. They are exceptionally good sharers of information about clothing, vacation/travel, websites/social networks sites, and products for digital devices but also index higher on traditional “mom” categories such as groceries/food and beverages, home appliances and decorating goods.
• PANKs are devoted “nesters” but highly social too. PANKs are significantly more likely than the average woman to enjoy home decorating and home improvements. They are just as likely as overall women to enjoy domestic life – spending time at home, cooking, entertaining, yard work, and even housekeeping. And at the same time, PANKs are significantly more likely than women overall to enjoy social activities – hanging out with friends, dating, using social networks, volunteering, and participating in sports. PANKs also enjoy attending religious services as much as the average woman.
How to Reach PANKsTo give marketers the opportunity to effectively understand, reach, acknowledge and engage PANKs, Melanie Notkin has developed several platforms designed specifically for PANKs, otherwise known to consumers as “Savvy Aunties,” including: SavvyAuntie.com, Auntie’s Day® - a national holiday to celebrate and honor aunts – and a large and influential social media following on Facebook and Twitter. As ‘America’s Savvy Auntie,’ a national bestselling author, and on-air lifestyle expert, Notkin is regularly called upon as a brand spokesperson and influencer. As the national authority on PANKs, Notkin offers strategic consulting to brands looking for a deeper understanding of the market segment at PANKPower.com. Notkin will announce the first PANK Marketing conference in the coming weeks.
For more detailed information, the executive summary and infographic, please go to Melanie Notkin’s PANK Marketing Website at:
PANKPower.com and Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers site at:
WeberShandwick.com/PANKPowerAbout the StudyThe online research was conducted with KRC Research in August 2012 among 2,000 women, ages 18 and over, in the United States and Canada. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ± 5.1 percentage points for PANKs and ±2.25 percentage points for total women.
# # #
About Savvy AuntieFounded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com
About Weber ShandwickWeber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm has won numerous awards for innovative approaches and creative campaigns, and it has deep expertise in social media and digital marketing. Major practice areas include consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit: http://www.webershandwick.com.
About KRC ResearchKRC Research is a full-service market research firm that specializes in the kind of research needed for effective communications—communications that reach, engage and persuade. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com
-
Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
CEO, Savvy Auntie
(917) 449-2917
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
16 Toys Make the Prestigious List of Gifts Kids Want Most -
Making Aunts and Godmothers Feel like Heroes at the Holidays
NEW YORK, November 21 2012 -- Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces her fourth annual list of coolest toys for the 2012 holiday season. 16 toys in all have made the coveted list this year.
With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufacturers and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own 'Savvy Auntuition' to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys children want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”
Notkin’s annual toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime – and an important part of any child’s developmental growth. Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.
2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners
There are 16 winners
in all, sorted by age. For more information on each award winner and ‘Why Savvy
Auntie Loves It’, visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards. Please note: prices may vary.
Ages 2+
Playskool:
Sesame Street Flying Super Grover 2.0, ages 2-4 ($29.99)
Ages 3+
Hasbro:
My Little Pony
Friendship is Magic Pony Princess Wedding Castle Playset, ages 3-5 ($39.99)
Tolly
Tots: My Magical Wand
Cinderella,
ages 3-5 ($49.99)
Just
Play: Disney Doc Mcstuffins “Time For Your
Check-Up” Doll,
ages 3-5
Fisher-Price:
Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Musical
Pirate Ship Bucky,
ages 3-5
Innovation
First International: Hexbug Warriors
Battle Stadium,
Ages 3-8 ($29.99)
LeapFrog:
LeapPad2 Explorer Learning Tablet, ages 3-9 ($99.99)
Mattel:
Monster High® High School, Ages 3 and up
($79.99)
Ages 4+
Mega
Brands: Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Play Pet Shop, Ages 4 -8 ($24.99) Available for pre-order 12.1.12
Playmates
Toys: Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles Shellraiser,
Ages 4 and up ($37.99)
Jakks
Pacific: Winx Club Deluxe
Fashion Doll,
Ages 4 and up ($19.99)
Ages 6+
Mattel:
Hot Wheels® Team Hot Wheels™ Total Control
Racing™ Supercharged® Stunt Park, Mattel, Ages 6-8 ($49.99)
LEGO:
LEGO Friends
Heartlake Stables 3189, Ages 6-12 ($49.99)
LEGO:
LEGO Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle 9450, Ages 6-14 ($119.99)
Ages 8+
Hasbro:
Furby, Ages 8-10 ($54.99)
Ages 10+
Activision
Publishing, Inc: Skylanders Giants™, Ages 10+ ($74.99)
Each winning toy is listed on SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards with
links to an online retailer and an “Ask a Parent” button to help ensure
parental approval when needed. The winning toys earn a 2012 Savvy Auntie
Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the powerful
PANK® – Professional Aunt No Kids - demographic with Notkin’s “Savvy
Auntie Seal of Approval.’
###
About Savvy Auntie
Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand
that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and
coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a
modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it
remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic.
The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s
Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the
Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy
Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all
Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a
taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson
for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com.
**Melanie Notkin appears on TV as an
expert in children’s trends and is available immediately for Holiday Gift Guide
stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed.**
For additional information
on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie: 917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com. For on-air and talent inquiries, please
contact Steven DeVall, N.S. Bienstock, sdevall@nsbtalent.com.
More
Joint Study Finds PANKs® Spend $9 Billion on Children Annually
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
CEO, Savvy Auntie
(917) 449-2917
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
Joint Study Finds PANKs® - “Professional Aunts No Kids” –
Spend $9 Billion on Toys and Gifts for Children Annually
23 million untapped “Savvy Aunties” are primed to be engaged by brands
at the holiday gift-giving season and all year-round
– Savvy Auntie® and Weber Shandwick Research ‘The Power of the PANK’ –
NEW YORK, December 3, 2012 – A new joint national study released today by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research reveals that PANKs - or Professional Aunts No Kids – are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle, primed and ready to be engaged by brands. Yet, this powerful market remains virtually untapped.
PANKs, the emerging demographic of child-loving women who do not have children of their own, was coined and first brought to the attention of marketers by Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie. The sizeable niche represents approximately 23 million Americans, a population size comparable to Black/African American adults (28 million) and a segment larger than other highly sought-after niche markets, such as the LGBT market, estimated to be 16 million. One in five women is a PANK.
“Move over soccer moms. There’s a new group of smart, powerful women spenders out there. PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing the best for the kids in their lives,” says Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick. “It’s a perfect marketing trifecta.” Gaines-Ross notes that the marketing world has long and rightfully focused its resources on moms. “But,” she says, “Our deep dive into social networks has revealed vibrant communities of women who aren’t moms. They are groups – like PANKs – that are well worth a marketer’s attention.”
In 2008, Notkin launched Savvy Auntie, the only multiplatform lifestyle brand designed specifically for this powerful segment. As the leader of this tribe, Notkin has become the national authority on, and gatekeeper to, this multi-billion dollar demographic. Earlier this year, in order to more deeply explore PANKs and quantitatively address the business opportunity they present, Notkin teamed up with Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm.
The result is ‘The Power of the PANK,’ the first study released from ‘Digital Women Influencers,’ a survey of 2,000 North American women conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research to identify segments who not only have gone unnoticed in the marketing mix but who are influential in their own right. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Weber Shandwick on this study to be able to quantitatively confirm the generous contributions of this under-targeted niche. While parents are stretched to their limits, PANKs are able – and happy – to offer support to the children in their lives in meaningful ways. They may be secondary caregivers, but with their emotional, financial and material gifts – not to mention their quality time and positive influence – PANKs play a primary role in the vitality of the American Family Village,” says Notkin. “Plus,” Notkin adds, “PANKs demonstrate sizeable market influence in CPG, home, and service categories traditionally marketed mainly to moms.”
The joint study, available free for download, provides marketers and communicators with key quantitative findings proving PANKs’ value and outlines ways to successfully engage them. According to Notkin, PANKs are the next marketing frontier because while half of all PANKs believe that society overlooks women who don’t have children, there is great opportunity for brands to recognize and acknowledge these women at the holiday gift-giving season, and all year-round.
Why Marketers Are Paying Attention:
Weber Shandwick identified 14 Principles of PANKs – compelling reasons why PANKs are integral to any consumer segment-driven marketing plan. Some key characteristics include:
• PANKs are an attractive demographic
PANKs have a higher rate of full-time employment than the average woman and an annual household income that matches that of the average woman. These facts are impressive since PANKs are more than twice as likely as other women to be single. It means that PANKs don’t have to stretch their income among as many people. This household and income profile points to discretionary income as a compelling differentiator from other women. Additionally, PANKs are younger. The average age of a PANK is 36 (vs. 46 years for overall women), a highly desirable age cohort for marketers because it suggests that PANKs potentially have a network of friends and family members with growing families.
• PANKs spend money on kids and assist kids’ parents financially.
PANKs estimate that they spent an average of $387 on each child in their lives during the past year, with 76% having spent more than $500 per child. This translates to an annual PANK buying power estimate averaging roughly $9 billion. PANKs also offer economic assistance by providing kids with things kids’ parents sometimes cannot or will not offer them and many have given gifts to parents to help them provide for their kids.
• PANKs are avid info-sharers.
PANKs are sharing information on a wide range of products and services. They are exceptionally good sharers of information about clothing, vacation/travel, websites/social networks sites, and products for digital devices but also index higher on traditional “mom” categories such as groceries/food and beverages, home appliances and decorating goods.
• PANKs are devoted “nesters” but highly social too.
PANKs are significantly more likely than the average woman to enjoy home decorating and home improvements. They are just as likely as overall women to enjoy domestic life – spending time at home, cooking, entertaining, yard work, and even housekeeping. And at the same time, PANKs are significantly more likely than women overall to enjoy social activities – hanging out with friends, dating, using social networks, volunteering, and participating in sports. PANKs also enjoy attending religious services as much as the average woman.
How to Reach PANKs
To give marketers the opportunity to effectively understand, reach, acknowledge and engage PANKs, Melanie Notkin has developed several platforms designed specifically for PANKs, otherwise known to consumers as “Savvy Aunties,” including: SavvyAuntie.com, Auntie’s Day® - a national holiday to celebrate and honor aunts – and a large and influential social media following on Facebook and Twitter. As ‘America’s Savvy Auntie,’ a national bestselling author, and on-air lifestyle expert, Notkin is regularly called upon as a brand spokesperson and influencer. As the national authority on PANKs, Notkin offers strategic consulting to brands looking for a deeper understanding of the market segment at PANKPower.com. Notkin will announce the first PANK Marketing conference in the coming weeks.
For more detailed information, the executive summary and infographic, please go to Melanie Notkin’s PANK Marketing Website at: PANKPower.com and Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers site at: WeberShandwick.com/PANKPower
About the Study
The online research was conducted with KRC Research in August 2012 among 2,000 women, ages 18 and over, in the United States and Canada. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ± 5.1 percentage points for PANKs and ±2.25 percentage points for total women.
# # #
About Savvy Auntie
Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm has won numerous awards for innovative approaches and creative campaigns, and it has deep expertise in social media and digital marketing. Major practice areas include consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit: http://www.webershandwick.com.
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a full-service market research firm that specializes in the kind of research needed for effective communications—communications that reach, engage and persuade. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com
More
|
-
Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
CEO, Savvy Auntie
(917) 449-2917
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
16 Toys Make the Prestigious List of Gifts Kids Want Most -
Making Aunts and Godmothers Feel like Heroes at the Holidays
NEW YORK, November 21 2012 -- Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces her fourth annual list of coolest toys for the 2012 holiday season. 16 toys in all have made the coveted list this year.
With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufacturers and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own 'Savvy Auntuition' to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys children want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”
Notkin’s annual toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime – and an important part of any child’s developmental growth. Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.
2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners
There are 16 winners
in all, sorted by age. For more information on each award winner and ‘Why Savvy
Auntie Loves It’, visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards. Please note: prices may vary.
Ages 2+
Playskool:
Sesame Street Flying Super Grover 2.0, ages 2-4 ($29.99)
Ages 3+
Hasbro:
My Little Pony
Friendship is Magic Pony Princess Wedding Castle Playset, ages 3-5 ($39.99)
Tolly
Tots: My Magical Wand
Cinderella,
ages 3-5 ($49.99)
Just
Play: Disney Doc Mcstuffins “Time For Your
Check-Up” Doll,
ages 3-5
Fisher-Price:
Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Musical
Pirate Ship Bucky,
ages 3-5
Innovation
First International: Hexbug Warriors
Battle Stadium,
Ages 3-8 ($29.99)
LeapFrog:
LeapPad2 Explorer Learning Tablet, ages 3-9 ($99.99)
Mattel:
Monster High® High School, Ages 3 and up
($79.99)
Ages 4+
Mega
Brands: Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Play Pet Shop, Ages 4 -8 ($24.99) Available for pre-order 12.1.12
Playmates
Toys: Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles Shellraiser,
Ages 4 and up ($37.99)
Jakks
Pacific: Winx Club Deluxe
Fashion Doll,
Ages 4 and up ($19.99)
Ages 6+
Mattel:
Hot Wheels® Team Hot Wheels™ Total Control
Racing™ Supercharged® Stunt Park, Mattel, Ages 6-8 ($49.99)
LEGO:
LEGO Friends
Heartlake Stables 3189, Ages 6-12 ($49.99)
LEGO:
LEGO Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle 9450, Ages 6-14 ($119.99)
Ages 8+
Hasbro:
Furby, Ages 8-10 ($54.99)
Ages 10+
Activision
Publishing, Inc: Skylanders Giants™, Ages 10+ ($74.99)
Each winning toy is listed on SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards with
links to an online retailer and an “Ask a Parent” button to help ensure
parental approval when needed. The winning toys earn a 2012 Savvy Auntie
Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the powerful
PANK® – Professional Aunt No Kids - demographic with Notkin’s “Savvy
Auntie Seal of Approval.’
###
About Savvy Auntie
Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand
that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and
coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a
modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it
remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic.
The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s
Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the
Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy
Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all
Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a
taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson
for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com.
**Melanie Notkin appears on TV as an
expert in children’s trends and is available immediately for Holiday Gift Guide
stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed.**
For additional information
on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie: 917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com. For on-air and talent inquiries, please
contact Steven DeVall, N.S. Bienstock, sdevall@nsbtalent.com.
More
Joint Study Finds PANKs® Spend $9 Billion on Children Annually
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
CEO, Savvy Auntie
(917) 449-2917
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
Joint Study Finds PANKs® - “Professional Aunts No Kids” –
Spend $9 Billion on Toys and Gifts for Children Annually
23 million untapped “Savvy Aunties” are primed to be engaged by brands
at the holiday gift-giving season and all year-round
– Savvy Auntie® and Weber Shandwick Research ‘The Power of the PANK’ –
NEW YORK, December 3, 2012 – A new joint national study released today by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research reveals that PANKs - or Professional Aunts No Kids – are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle, primed and ready to be engaged by brands. Yet, this powerful market remains virtually untapped.
PANKs, the emerging demographic of child-loving women who do not have children of their own, was coined and first brought to the attention of marketers by Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie. The sizeable niche represents approximately 23 million Americans, a population size comparable to Black/African American adults (28 million) and a segment larger than other highly sought-after niche markets, such as the LGBT market, estimated to be 16 million. One in five women is a PANK.
“Move over soccer moms. There’s a new group of smart, powerful women spenders out there. PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing the best for the kids in their lives,” says Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick. “It’s a perfect marketing trifecta.” Gaines-Ross notes that the marketing world has long and rightfully focused its resources on moms. “But,” she says, “Our deep dive into social networks has revealed vibrant communities of women who aren’t moms. They are groups – like PANKs – that are well worth a marketer’s attention.”
In 2008, Notkin launched Savvy Auntie, the only multiplatform lifestyle brand designed specifically for this powerful segment. As the leader of this tribe, Notkin has become the national authority on, and gatekeeper to, this multi-billion dollar demographic. Earlier this year, in order to more deeply explore PANKs and quantitatively address the business opportunity they present, Notkin teamed up with Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm.
The result is ‘The Power of the PANK,’ the first study released from ‘Digital Women Influencers,’ a survey of 2,000 North American women conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research to identify segments who not only have gone unnoticed in the marketing mix but who are influential in their own right. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Weber Shandwick on this study to be able to quantitatively confirm the generous contributions of this under-targeted niche. While parents are stretched to their limits, PANKs are able – and happy – to offer support to the children in their lives in meaningful ways. They may be secondary caregivers, but with their emotional, financial and material gifts – not to mention their quality time and positive influence – PANKs play a primary role in the vitality of the American Family Village,” says Notkin. “Plus,” Notkin adds, “PANKs demonstrate sizeable market influence in CPG, home, and service categories traditionally marketed mainly to moms.”
The joint study, available free for download, provides marketers and communicators with key quantitative findings proving PANKs’ value and outlines ways to successfully engage them. According to Notkin, PANKs are the next marketing frontier because while half of all PANKs believe that society overlooks women who don’t have children, there is great opportunity for brands to recognize and acknowledge these women at the holiday gift-giving season, and all year-round.
Why Marketers Are Paying Attention:
Weber Shandwick identified 14 Principles of PANKs – compelling reasons why PANKs are integral to any consumer segment-driven marketing plan. Some key characteristics include:
• PANKs are an attractive demographic
PANKs have a higher rate of full-time employment than the average woman and an annual household income that matches that of the average woman. These facts are impressive since PANKs are more than twice as likely as other women to be single. It means that PANKs don’t have to stretch their income among as many people. This household and income profile points to discretionary income as a compelling differentiator from other women. Additionally, PANKs are younger. The average age of a PANK is 36 (vs. 46 years for overall women), a highly desirable age cohort for marketers because it suggests that PANKs potentially have a network of friends and family members with growing families.
• PANKs spend money on kids and assist kids’ parents financially.
PANKs estimate that they spent an average of $387 on each child in their lives during the past year, with 76% having spent more than $500 per child. This translates to an annual PANK buying power estimate averaging roughly $9 billion. PANKs also offer economic assistance by providing kids with things kids’ parents sometimes cannot or will not offer them and many have given gifts to parents to help them provide for their kids.
• PANKs are avid info-sharers.
PANKs are sharing information on a wide range of products and services. They are exceptionally good sharers of information about clothing, vacation/travel, websites/social networks sites, and products for digital devices but also index higher on traditional “mom” categories such as groceries/food and beverages, home appliances and decorating goods.
• PANKs are devoted “nesters” but highly social too.
PANKs are significantly more likely than the average woman to enjoy home decorating and home improvements. They are just as likely as overall women to enjoy domestic life – spending time at home, cooking, entertaining, yard work, and even housekeeping. And at the same time, PANKs are significantly more likely than women overall to enjoy social activities – hanging out with friends, dating, using social networks, volunteering, and participating in sports. PANKs also enjoy attending religious services as much as the average woman.
How to Reach PANKs
To give marketers the opportunity to effectively understand, reach, acknowledge and engage PANKs, Melanie Notkin has developed several platforms designed specifically for PANKs, otherwise known to consumers as “Savvy Aunties,” including: SavvyAuntie.com, Auntie’s Day® - a national holiday to celebrate and honor aunts – and a large and influential social media following on Facebook and Twitter. As ‘America’s Savvy Auntie,’ a national bestselling author, and on-air lifestyle expert, Notkin is regularly called upon as a brand spokesperson and influencer. As the national authority on PANKs, Notkin offers strategic consulting to brands looking for a deeper understanding of the market segment at PANKPower.com. Notkin will announce the first PANK Marketing conference in the coming weeks.
For more detailed information, the executive summary and infographic, please go to Melanie Notkin’s PANK Marketing Website at: PANKPower.com and Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers site at: WeberShandwick.com/PANKPower
About the Study
The online research was conducted with KRC Research in August 2012 among 2,000 women, ages 18 and over, in the United States and Canada. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ± 5.1 percentage points for PANKs and ±2.25 percentage points for total women.
# # #
About Savvy Auntie
Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm has won numerous awards for innovative approaches and creative campaigns, and it has deep expertise in social media and digital marketing. Major practice areas include consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit: http://www.webershandwick.com.
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a full-service market research firm that specializes in the kind of research needed for effective communications—communications that reach, engage and persuade. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com
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Fourth Annual “Auntie’s Day®” is Sunday July 22nd, 2012
Fourth Annual “Auntie’s Day™” is Sunday July 22th, 2012 National Holiday Honoring Aunts and Godmothers, Sponsored by
Savvy Auntie®
‘Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours.’
NEW YORK—January 9, 2012—Melanie Notkin, lifestyle expert, founder of SavvyAuntie.com, and author of national bestseller, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins) announces the date for the fourth annual national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 22nd, 2012.
Auntie’s Day, sponsored by Savvy Auntie, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for everything she does for a child not-her-own. An estimated 50 percent of American women do not have children but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs® - Professional Aunts No Kids.
On Auntie’s Day – a ‘Mother’s Day’ for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on their special day. In honor of the day, Savvy Auntie will also host promotions for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.
“It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” said Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and “ConfidAunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”
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About Savvy Auntie
Savvy Auntie is the lifestyle destination designed for the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms but love the children in their lives. Founded in 2007 by lifestyle expert and now national bestselling author, Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie has become a phenomenon heralded by fabulous, kid-friendly women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan aunthood. Launched in 2008, SavvyAuntie.com is the Webby Award–nominated premier destination for aunts –dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents.” SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins) was released earlier this spring and is a Wall Street Journal National Bestseller.
About Melanie Notkin
Melanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. As lifestyle expert and tastemaker, Auntie Melanie has been featured numerous times on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX , as well as in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NPR and is author of the national bestseller, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins). http://MelanieNotkin.com.
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2011 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Melanie Notkin (Founder)
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
(917) 449 2917 (PRESS ONLY)
Child
Lifestyle Expert, Best-Selling Author and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE®
Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Coveted Toys of the Year:
THE 3RD ANNUAL SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS.
New York, NY – November 17, 2011 – Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the
multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts by relation, aunts by choice and
godmothers, announces her annual list of coolest toys for the 2011 holiday
season. Thirty toys in all have made the coveted list this year.
Notkin is the tribal
leader for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she’s dubbed “Savvy
Aunties.” This influential demographic of PANKs® (Professional Aunts No
Kids) has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices each season. With
many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created
the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards
in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to
make the best gift choices for the children in their lives.
Notkin’s toy list
certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list
also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time
an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often
uninterrupted playtime - an important part of any baby and child’s developmental
growth. Studies show that from pretend
play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big
kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of
their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as
giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.
As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufactures and industry
analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of
most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on
industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on
the classics - and then I add a little of my own “Savvy Auntuition” to produce
this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys they want to play with the most are
the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”
SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS By Age
Babipouce
Sorbet First Baby Doll, ages infant+ (Corolle)
Sesame
Street Let's Rock! Elmo, ages 18 months-4 (Playskool)
Rock
Star Mickey, ages 2-4 (Fisher-Price)
Big
Action Construction Site with Remote Control, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)
Dora
the Explorer Fiesta Favorites Kitchen, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)
Disney
Animators' Collection Dolls, ages 3+ (Disney)
Disney
Princess Castle Dollhouse: Ultimate Dream
Castle, ages 3-5 (Disney)
Squinkies
Barbie Dream House Playset, ages 4-6 (Blip Toys)
Lalaloopsy
Dolls, ages 4-6 (MGA Entertainment)
Angelina
Ballerina Dance with Me! Game, ages 4-6 (Wonder Forge)
Hot
Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set, ages 4-6 (Mattel)
Smurfs Toys,
ages 4-6 (Jakks Pacific)
LeapPad,
ages 4-9 (LeapFrog)
Angry
Birds Knock on Wood Game, ages 5-7 (Mattel)
Spy
Net Rearview Spy Glasses, ages 5-8 (Jakks Pacific)
Crayola
Glow Book, ages 6-12 (Crayola)
Moshi
Monsters, ages 6-10 (Spin Master)
Umagine
Bizu Bead Style Studio, ages 6-8 (Spin Master)
Justin
Bieber Rockin' Tour Bus and Concert Stage, ages 6-8 (The Bridge Direct)
Fijit
Friends Interactive Toy, ages 6-9 (Mattel)
Monster
High Lagoona's Hydration Station & Doll, ages 6-8 (Mattel)
Crayola
Model Magic Jewelry Studio, ages 6-8 (Crayola)
Beyblade
Extreme Top System IR Spin Control Galaxy Pegasus Set, ages 8-10 (Hasbro)
Real
Steel playest, ages 8-10 (Jakks Pacific)
LEGO
Fire Temple – Ninjago, ages 8-10 (LEGO)
Nerf
Vortex Vigilon Blaster, ages 8+ (Hasbro)
Monopoly:
Electronic Banking Edition, ages 8+ (Hasbro)
Perplexus
– Epic, ages 8-10 (PlaSmart)
Hedbanz
Game, ages 8-12 (Spin Master)
Kre-O
Transformers Optimus Prime Construction Set, ages 8-14 (Hasbro)
Each winning toy
is listed on Savvy Auntie with
links to an online retailer for purchase. The winning brands receive a 2011 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal
for promotional purposes, attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp
of approval.’
###
About Melanie Notkin
Melanie Notkin (a.k.a Savvy Auntie) is the founder of SavvyAuntie.com and creator
of the popular Savvy Auntie lifestyle brand – the phenomenon heralded by
fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan Aunthood.
She’s also the national best-selling
author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate
Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (April
2011 - Morrow/Harpercollins). She’s the founder of Auntie’s Day™, the first
national holiday to honor and celebrate aunts and aunthood. Notkin is one of
the most influential personalities in social media, including a Top 100 Most
Powerful Woman on Twitter (grader) and a
Top 10 Woman in Social Media (genConnect/Yahoo Shine) As toy expert, Notkin serves
on the Toy Industry Association – ‘Toy of the Year’ Nomination Committee.
Melanie Notkin appears on TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and is available
immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV
segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed. For additional
information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest
Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie: 917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com .
Savvy Auntie.com l MelanieNotkin.com
l Reel l Twitter.com l Facebook.com l
Youtube.com
About Savvy Auntie
SavvyAuntie.com, a 2011 Forbes Top 100 Websites for Women and 2009 Webby Award
nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by
Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The
website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with
activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. The Savvy Auntie
community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging
parts of aunt-hood. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and
earning praise from the New York Times to Elle Italy, Savvy Auntie empowers and
engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunthood.
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SAVVY AUNTIE - It’s Not Just a Book, It’s a Movement.
Publicity Contacts:
Sharyn Rosenblum sharyn.rosenblum@harpercollins.com/ (212) 207-7470
Stephanie Kim stephanie.kim@harpercollins.com/ (212) 207-7692
Not since Helen Gurley Brown championed the single woman in her seminal 1962 book: Sex and the Single Girl, has there been a more influential advocate for the underappreciated, powerful segment of childless women who embrace aunthood and cherish the presence of children in their lives.
SAVVY AUNTIE
It’s Not Just a Book, It’s a Movement.
On-Sale: April 26, 2011
"What a wonderful gift this book is for aunties of all of ages, backgrounds, shapes, and varieties! This world is full of child-loving childless women (myself included) and finally we have been given a clever and thoughtful voice of our own. Read this book, embrace it, pass it along: SAVVY AUNTIE, like the women it celebrates, is destined to be dearly loved."
—Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and Committed
“I honestly don't know what I would do without the aunties, uncles, and of course, The Guncles in my kids' lives. Melanie's book is invaluable to me as a mom—and as a Savvy Auntie and godmommy myself—because I understand what a gift it is for a child to be loved by so many adoring grownups. On behalf of the kids and moms, thank you, Savvy Auntie! We love you!”
—Tori Spelling, bestselling author and actress
“Nothing makes people happier than loving relationships – and in this marvelous celebration of Savvy Aunties' love for their nieces and nephews, Melanie Notkin shines a much-needed spotlight on a bond that brings so much happiness to so many people.”
—Gretchen Rubin, Bestselling Author of The Happiness Project
“A chic guide for new and experienced aunts that establishes their valuable family role…
Communal childrearing at its finest.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Amazingly, nearly 50% of American women don’t have biological children; yet, most of these women still enjoy the presence, privilege, and love of children in their lives. This all-important tribe of women are the Aunts—and they are a vital part of the American Family Village. As the original Savvy Auntie and founder of massively popular web community, SavvyAuntie.com, launched in July 2008, Melanie Notkin has quickly emerged as the voice of an ever-growing movement. A social media entrepreneur with more than 42,000 fans on Facebook, and 15,000 followers on Twitter, Melanie was recently named one of the 10 Power Women in Social Media by Shine.Yahoo.com.
Melanie’s debut publication, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids (William Morrow; On-Sale: April 26, 2011; Hardcover; Price: $24.99/$32.99 Can.), encompasses tips on everything from “what to expect when she’s expecting,” how to facilitate “QualAuntie” playtime with your niece or nephew, and disenfranchised grief for those who do not have children but want them, to create the first all-inclusive guide to aunthood.
When Melanie welcomed her first nephew into the family, the overwhelming love and devotion she felt as she stood in the delivery ward, carefully cradling her newborn nephew, inspired her to learn more about the influential role aunts have in helping shape a child’s life. But she was hard-pressed to find resources for non-moms who have children in their lives by relation and by choice. After realizing that there were many women just like her, Melanie took it upon herself to create a unifying lifestyle platform for the modern, cosmopolitan American woman. She dubbed these women PANKs®: Professional Aunts No Kids.
Drawing from sound psychological guidance, expert testimonials, and practical anecdotes from real aunts: SAVVY AUNTIE smartly explores the evolving role of the aunt and the changing nature of family in a modern era—it is a true celebration of aunthood.
The Savvy Experts Include…
• Dr. Miriam Greene: Hosts Doctor Radio on Sirius Channel 114 and XM Channel 119. Fun fact: Dr. Greene also played an ob-gyn on TV. She delivered Miranda's baby, Brady, on Sex and the City!
• Rosemarie Truglio, Ph.D: VP of Education and Research for Sesame Street.
• Carley Roney: Founder of The Knot.com and TheBump.com.
• Stephanie Baffone, LPCMH, NCC: A grief counselor who discusses disenfranchised grief for childless women.
• Dr. Christiane Northrup: Bestselling author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing.
• Alexis Martin Neely: Founder and CEO of the Family Wealth Planning Institute.
• Lyss Stern: Founder of New York City’s social network, www.divalyssciousmoms.com, and editor-in-chief of Observer Playground Magazine.
…and Many More!
About the Author:
Before developing Savvy Auntie, Melanie was an interactive marketing and communications executive for global Fortune 500 companies, including New York Times Digital and American Express, as well as L’Oréal. She is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada where she was born and raised. She is a Savvy Auntie and Auntie by Relation (ABR) to a number of wonderful children who are the loves of her life. She is also an Auntie By Choice (ABC) to all of her friends’ kids, who come in a very close second. Melanie resides in New York.
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The 2nd Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Melanie Notkin (Founder)
Press@SavvyAuntie.com
(917) 449 2917 (PRESS ONLY)
Child Lifestyle Expert, Author and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE®
Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Coveted Toys of the Year:
The 2nd Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards.
New York, NY – October 21, 2010 – Melanie Notkin, the founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts by relation, aunts by choice and godmothers, announces her gift ideas for nephews and nieces available this holiday season. There are 16 toys with the “Coolest” title, 6 toys with the “Lux” title ($99 and over), and 16 toys with honorable mentions.
Notkin has proudly accepted the position as tribal leader for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she’s dubbed PANKs™ (Professional Aunts No Kids). This underserved demographic has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices this season. When Notkin realized many toy marketers focus on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the right gift choices for the children in their lives.
As toy expert, Notkin meets with manufactures as well as industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys. After all, every Savvy Auntie wants to deliver the “wow” factor to a child when gift giving. “The 2010 holiday season lineup is filled with toys that support music, science or reading, and many toys that foster imaginative, open-ended play,” says Notkin. “The ones I deemed the “Coolest” are ones that I believe bring strong play value - and are also the ones that most kids have at the very top of their wish list.” Notkin also included some nostalgic toys that have come back into fashion for those aunts searching for the tried-and-true perennial favorites.
SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS (By age range)
Coolest:
1. Sing-A-Ma-Jigs, ages 3-5, $12.99 (Fisher-Price)
2. Pillow Pets, ages 3-4, $19.99 (Ontel Products Corp)
3. Disney Princess Magic Rise Oven, ages 3-5 $29.99 (Jakks Pacific)
4. Hexbug Nano Habitat Set, ages, 3-8, $29.99 (Innovation First Inc)
5. Real Construction Deluxe Tool Set , ages 4-6, $21.99(Jakks Pacific)
6. Squinkies, ages 4-6, $11.99 (Blip Toys)
7. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Playset, ages 4-6, $19.99, (Hasbro)
8. Zoobles, age 4-7, $9.99 (Spin Master)
9. Leapster Explorer Learning Experience, ages 4-9, $69.99 (Leapfrog)
10. Disney Princess and Me Doll, ages 5-8, $49.99 (Jakks Pacific)
11. Monster High Dolls, ages 6-8 $24.99 (Mattel)
12. LEGO Games Creationary, ages 7-14, $36.99 (LEGO)
13. Paper Jamz, ages 8-10, $24,99 (WowWee)
14. Nerf N Striker Stampede EC, ages 8-10, $49.99 (Hasbro)
15. TONKA Ricochet RC Vehicle, ages 8-10, $79.99 (Hasbro)
16. LEGO Star Wars Slave I™, ages 9-14, $79.99, (LEGO)
Lux:
1. Fisher-Price Loving Family Grand Dollhouse Super Set, ages 3-6, $159.99 (Fisher-Price)
2. Imaginext Big Foot the Monster, ages 3-7, $109.99 (Fisher-Price)
3. Great Dragon Castle, ages 4-6, $154.99 (Playmobile)
4. Furreal Friends Pony -Butterscotch, ages 5-7, $299.99 (Hasbro)
5. Ground Force Drifter, ages 8+, $299.99 (Razor)
6. LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, ages 9-14, $129.99 (LEGO)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Jane Goodall Collection, ages 0-6, $24,99, (Miyim)
2. Weebles Wobble-Go-‘Round, ages 12-18 months, $14.99 (Playskool)
3. 12" Raggedy Ann 95th Anniversary Edition Doll, ages 1-6, $24.00 (Applause)
4. Dance Star Mickey, ages 18 months-3, $69.99 (Fisher-Price)
5. Learn to Dress Kitty, ages 2-4, $34.99, (Alex Toys)
6. Dollie & Me Dolls and Clothes, ages 2-9 $26.99-$44.99(Kahn Lucas)
7. StinkyKids, ages 3-6, $16.50 (Madame Alexander)
8. 18 inch Pinkalicious Cloth Doll, age 3-6, $39.99 (Madame Alexander)
9. TAG Activity Storybook - World Map, ages 4-6, $19.99 (Leapfrog)
10. Justin Bieber Singing Doll, ages 4-6, $24.99 (The Bridget Direct)
11. Les Cheries 13 inch Dolls, ages 4-8, $24.99 (Corolle)
12. TRON: Legacy 12 inch Ultimate Action Figure - Sam Flynn, ages 4-11, $39.99 (Spin Master)
13. Barbie Video Girl Barbie Doll, ages 5-7, $49.99 (Mattel)
14. Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus, ages 5-7, $39.99 (Spin Master)
15. RC Rattlesnake, ages 7-13, $39.99 (Natural History Museum)
16. Hot Wheels Remote Control Stealth Rides Power Treads Tank, ages 8-10, $24.99 (Mattel)
Each winning toy is listed on Savvy Auntie and links to an online retailer. The representative brands receive an award seal to post on their site, further attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp of approval.’
###
About Melanie Notkin
Melanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. She launched SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for aunts and godmothers, in the summer of 2008; and in the summer of 2009, she launched Auntie’s Day, the first national holiday to honor aunts and aunthood. Her first book: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids, will be released in March 2011.
Notkin has appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and Better TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and serves on the Toy Industry Association – ‘Toy of the Year’ Nominating Committee.
Melanie Notkin is available immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed. For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie: 917.44.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com .
MelanieNotkin.com l Reel l Twitter.com l Facebook.com l Youtube.com
About Savvy Auntie
SavvyAuntie.com, Webby Award nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times to Elle Italy, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunthood.
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Second Annual “Auntie’s Day” is Sunday, July 25th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFor More Information Contact: Melanie Notkin - Founder and CEO Press@SavvyAuntie.com (917) 449 - 2917
Second Annual “Auntie’s Day” is Sunday July 25th
National Holiday Honoring Aunts and Godmothers, Sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com
NEW YORK—May 18, 2010—Melanie Notkin, lifestyle expert and founder of SavvyAuntie.com, announces the date for the second annual national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will be celebrated this year on Sunday, July 25th, 2010. Auntie’s Day, sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for all the love, emotional support and fabulous gifts she offers. An estimated 50% of American women do not have children of their own, but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs, Professional Aunts No Kids. On SavvyAuntie.com’s Auntie’s Day – a Mother’s Day for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Savvy Auntie’s Day web destination ( www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents can celebrate their child’s auntie and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves. In honor of the day, Savvy Auntie will also host promotions for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie. “It’s time that childless women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” said Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide quality time and experiences as a loving caregiver and “confide-aunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many childless women also give tirelessly to children all over the world.” # # # About SavvyAuntie.comSavvy Auntie is the Webby Award–nominated premier destination for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR) and Aunts by Choice (ABC). With advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. Savvy Auntie can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com, Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie and Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie. About Melanie NotkinMelanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50% of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. As child lifestyle expert and tastemaker, Auntie Melanie has been featured numerous times on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and CW and is author of the upcoming book: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life: The Ultimate Source for Cool Aunts, Great Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (William Morrow / HarperCollins). http://MelanieNotkin.com. More
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Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards 2009 Announced
Child Lifestyle Expert and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE, Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Trendsetting, the Most Luxurious, and the Most Notable Toys for the 2009 Holiday Season
New York, NY – October 29, 2009 – Melanie Notkin, the founder and CEO of the multi-platform lifestyle brand for kid-friendly women who are aunts by relation, aunts by choice, and godmothers, Savvy Auntie®, is sharing her favorite gifts for nephews and nieces available this holiday season by awarding 12 toys with the “Coolest” title, 6 toys with the “Lux” title (costing $100 and over), and 8 toys will receive honorable mentions.
Notkin has identified and stepped to the forefront for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she refers to as PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids). This underserved demographic has strong, untapped, consumer power. In order to offer these child-loving women a resource to aid in their holiday gift shopping, Notkin has created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards.
In order to compile a list of the most coveted and exciting gifts for nieces and nephews, the first toy awards designed for Savvy Aunties, Notkin selected her lists based on the most coveted toys of the season that she found to also be the most innovative. “These toys certainly have that “cool” factor that aunts want when her nieces, nephews and children in her life open their gifts this holiday season,” says Notkin. “From modern twists on the classics to toys that entered the market just this year, we’ve identified the ones we think will encourage play, imagination, as well as learning and role-play.
SAVVY AUNTIE’S TOY
AWARDS
Coolest:
Crayola
Beginnings: Color Me a Song, ages 2-4, $24.99 (Crayola)
Leapfrog
Tag Junior Book Pal Reading System, ages 2-4 $39.99 (Leapfrog)
Matchbox
Rocky The Robot Truck, ages 3-6, $59.99 (Mattel)
Playskool
Kota and Pals Hatchlings – Triceratops, ages 3-8, $14,99 (Hasbro)
Harumika
Super Style Accents, ages 6-14, $9.99 (Bandai)
Disney
Princess and The Frog Tiana Doll ages 3-6, $10.99 (Mattel)
Liv
Fashion Dolls, ages 3-8, $19.99 (Spin Master)
zhu
zhu Pets Hamsters and assorted play sets, ages 4-8, $9.99-$21.99 (Cepia)
Dr.
Seuss Super Stretchy ABCs Active Game, ages 3-6, $19.99 (I Can Do That
Games)
Printies
Pet Design Studio, ages 6-12, $19.99 (Techno Source)
Bakugan
New Vestroia 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid, ages 5-12, $39.99 (Spin Master)
Transformers
2 Revenge of the Fallen Roleplay Helmet – Bumblebee, ages 5-9, $39.99
(Hasbro)
Lux:
Fisher-Price
Handy Manny's Repair Shop, ages 3-5 $100, (Fisher-Price)
Corolle
17" Lila Interactive Baby Doll, ages 3-8, $100 (Corolle)
Corolle
Navy and Pink Baby Doll Carriage Stroller, ages 3-8 (Corolle)
Steiff
Selection – Lying Lamb, ages newborn -2, $135.00 (Steiff)
Barbie
Pink World 3-Story Dream Townhouse, ages 3-8, $159.99 (Mattel)
LEGO
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, ages 9-14,
$129.99 Honorable Mentions:
Leapfrog
My Puppy Pal Scout, ages 6 months -3, $19.99 (Leapfrog)
Vtech
Kidizoom Plus Pre-School 2.0MP Digital Camera, ages 3-9, $59.99 (Vtech) Barbie(R) Fashionistas, ages 3-8, $11.99 (Mattel)
Moxie
Girlz Doll, ages 4-8, $9.99 (MGA Entertainment)
Best
Friends Club Dolls, ages 6-10, $39.99 (MGA Entertainment)
LEGO
Bionicle Baramus, ages 9-16, $41.00, (LEGO)
Nerf
N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster with 35 Darts, ages 6-11, $34.99
(Hasbro)
Dell
Inspiron Mini 10V, Nickelodeon Edition, ages 8-12, $329.00 (Dell)
Each winning toy will be listed on Savvy Auntie and will
link to an online retailer. Winners will
also receive an award winning seal to post on their site, further attracting
the PANK demographic with Notkin’s stamp of approval. “Kids know that the cool aunt, godmother, or
best friend always gives the coolest gifts during the holidays. The Savvy Auntie Toy Awards support all the
cool aunts out there,” says Notkin.
Notkin is a regular on FOX News and
has appeared on NBC, CBS and Better TV as taste-maker for children’s trends.
She’s been published in The New York Times and writes a blog about her
experience as the founder of Savvy Auntie. Additionally, she is the Editor in
Chief of SavvyAuntie.com and ensures all content is aunt-friendly and newsworthy
to child development as well as the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. SavvyAuntie.com’s integrity earned a Webby
Award nomination in 2009 for Best Parenting/Family site.
For additional information, follow
Melanie Notkin on Twitter @savvyauntie! For interviews with Melanie Notkin as well as
additional information on the Savvy Auntie Toy Awards and on the Savvy Auntie
platform, please contact     203-326-1070 or agcrisci@gmail.com.
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About Savvy Auntie
SavvyAuntie.com, Webby Award nominee, is
the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR),
Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers
advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift
ideas for their nieces and nephews. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie community
enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of
aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for
non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times, The Wall Street
Journal, More Magazine and others, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with
whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. The site can be found at
www.SavvyAuntie.com
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Savvy Auntie to Launch First National Holiday Honoring Aunts, Godmothers July 26
Savvy Auntie to Launch First National Holiday
Honoring Aunts and Godmothers July 26
NEW YORK—June 29, 2009—Melanie Notkin, Founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, announces the first national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers, Savvy Auntie’s Day, which will be celebrated annually on the 4th Sunday of July, starting this year on July 26th.
Savvy Auntie’s Day is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC) or godmother, for all the love, emotional support and of course fabulous gifts she offers the children in her life. An estimated 50% of American women do not have children of their own, but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs, Professional Aunts No Kids. Until now, there was no nationally recognized day devoted only to the PANKs. After Notkin received numerous requests to launch such a day from aunts and parents alike, Savvy Auntie’s Day began to take shape.
On Savvy Auntie’s Day – like a Mother’s Day for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with activities and gifts. The official Savvy Auntie’s Day web destination (www.SavvyAuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how parents can celebrate their child’s auntie and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves. Beginning July 20, Savvy Auntie will host giveaways and contests for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and its Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.
“The aunties in the SavvyAuntie.com community do so much for their nieces, nephews and godchildren,” said Notkin. “I’ve read amazing stories on SavvyAuntie.com, one about an auntie who reached out to her suicidal niece before she hurt herself, ultimately saving her niece’s life, and testimonials from mothers who don’t know how they could raise their children without their sisters. Aunties are the unsung heroes of the family and we wanted to give our thanks by dedicating every fourth Sunday in July to them.”
The symbol of Savvy Auntie’s Day is the flower, inspired by Notkin, who often wears a brightly colored flower, to the delight of the children in her life. Give a flower to your Savvy Auntie this Savvy Auntie’s Day, and Aunties, wear a flower to show your pride for being a Savvy Auntie on July 26th!
For more information please visit http://SavvyAuntiesDay.com.
# # #
About SavvyAuntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR) and Aunts by Choice (ABC). With advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. The site can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com
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SavvyAuntie.com Nominated for “Best Family/Parenting Site” Webby Award
SavvyAuntie.com Nominated for “Best Family/Parenting Site” in The 13th Annual Webby Awards
Fans Can Vote Online to Help SavvyAuntie.com Win Internet's Top Honor
NEW YORK, NY – April 15, 2009 – SavvyAuntie.com announced today that it has been nominated for Best Family/Parenting Site in the 13th Annual Webby Awards.
The leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, The Webby Awards have been hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times.
Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com provides resources, activities, gift ideas and community for all women who love kids, including tens of millions of PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids. Empowering and engaging the women who indulge the children in their lives, as well as themselves, SavvyAuntie.com supplies a valuable online touchstone for women to celebrate Aunt-hood.
"Nominees like SavvyAuntie.com are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 10,000 entries we received this year."
“With or without kids of their own, many women love children, and love indulging them,” said Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com. “Being nominated for The Webby Awards is a rare honor that recognizes SavvyAuntie.com as a unique site for aunts, while highlighting the strength and support these incredible women bring to their families and to each other.”
As a nominee, SavvyAuntie.com is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by the global Web community. From now until April 30th, SavvyAuntie.com fans can cast their votes in The Webby People's Voice Awards at http://pv.webbyawards.com.
Winners will be announced on May 5th, 2009 and honored at a star-studded ceremony in New York City on June 8th hosted by Seth Meyers. Winners will be able to share one of the Webby's famous five-word speeches with the world. Past Webby Award winners - and their speeches - include Al Gore ("Please don't recount this vote."), Beastie Boys ("Can anyone fix my computer?"), and Stephen Colbert ("Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.").
The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.
About SavvyAuntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts - the approximately 50% of American woman who are not moms but love and adore children. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com.
About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Silverlight; The Creative Group; .ORG; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Wired; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image. More
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SavvyAuntie.com Launches 'Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas' Gift Guide
Contact:
SavvyAuntie.com:
Melanie Notkin
212 561-1531
press@savvyauntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com Launches 'Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas' Gift Guide First Online Community for Aunts Launches First Online Holiday Gift Guide for Non-Parents
New York, NY (PRWEB) October 13, 2008 - SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids, has launched its first-ever Holiday Gift Guide. Savvy Auntie Holiday Gifts is the list of the hottest toys handpicked by Melanie Notkin, Founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, who teamed up with toy experts, retailers and manufacturers, to bring Aunts the best gift ideas for their nieces and nephews and friends' kids this holiday season.
"Until now, Aunts never had a gift guide designed just for them, and if you don't have kids of your own, it's very challenging to know what kids crave," said Notkin. "With the SavvyAuntie.com Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas holiday gift guide, Aunties can feel confident that they are choosing among the season's top gift ideas and hottest toys for their nieces and nephews."
SavvyAuntie's picks for the season's best gift and hot toy ideas include some classic characters and brands: Elmo; LEGO; Crayola; Tinker Bell; Star Wars; Fur Real Pets; Barbie; Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob, as well as newer trends like: Bakugan; Kota the Triceratops; Yo Gabba Gabba; Wow Wow Wubbzy; iCarly; Hannah Montana; Guitar Hero; U-Dance; Ming Ming and Fancy Nancy.
In true Savvy Auntie fashion, the Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas can be custom filtered so Aunties can find the perfect holiday gift for a niece or nephew. Besides the basics, such as age, price and category, Savvy Aunties can also filter gifts by the child's personality, a beloved character or brand, and the child's favorite color. And since she may want to include a little bit of herself in her gift choice, Auntie can also choose gifts that reflect her own Auntie personality.
Each gift idea includes a special reason 'Why Savvy Auntie Loves it.' But SavvyAuntie.com members can also share their own opinions on the Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas gift guide by adding a comment review or by ranking the toy. Members can also save their favorite gifts to their Gift List to keep track as new holiday gift ideas are added regularly. Finally, just to be sure, the 'Ask A Parent' feature can confirm Auntie's choice is parent-approved with the click of a button. While these tools are open only to members, it's free to join.
As the season gets closer, the site will provide round-ups of Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas like 'recession-proof' gift ideas, best 'toys for boys,' and 'over-the-top' gifts, so that every Auntie can discover gift-giving in a whole new - and more savvy -- way.
The Savvy Auntie Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas holiday gift guide, while geared for aunts, is open to anyone looking for Savvy Holiday Gifts Ideas, including uncles, grandparents, cousins, friends, and yes - even parents. And kids are invited to peruse the gift guide and seamlessly send a link of their favorite choice to their own Savvy Auntie -or any gift giver-- through the "Just for Kids" button.
The Savvy Holidays Gift Ideas holiday gift guide can be found at SavvyAuntie.com/HolidayGifts
About SavvyAuntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts - the approximately 50% of American woman who are not moms but love and adore children. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed 'the first parenting site for non-parents,' SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com
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US Census Points to Increase of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2008
Contact:
Melanie Notkin
212 561-1531
press@savvyauntie.com
US Census Points to Increase of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids)
SavvyAuntie.com launches perfectly into a growing niche
NEW YORK—September 4, 2008—An ever higher number of American women are childless, according to statistics* released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August 18, 2008. The data, which reports a significant rise over the last two years, shows that the percentage of non-moms is nearing the 50 percent mark, making the ratio of moms to non-moms in America almost 1:1.
The trend, while of strong interest to fertility experts and sociologists, also signals the opening of a new demographic segment and opportunity for marketers hoping to reach women with discretionary income and time.
“With or without kids of their own, many women love children, and love indulging them,” said Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, the first online resource and community for PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids – a term she coined. “What makes this growing segment appealing to marketers is that PANKs are in the workforce, affluent and control or influence 85% of their household purchasing decisions.”
While spending some of their discretionary income to indulge their nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends’ kids with gifts and activities, PANKs also have more time and money than moms for leisure, travel, beauty, fashion, as well as new homes, home improvement, cars and consumer electronics. And PANKs are listening. In just eight weeks since launch, SavvyAuntie.com has received 50,000 visits, with membership growing daily.
SavvyAuntie.com provides resources, activities, gift ideas and community for the tens of millions of women who indulge their nieces and nephews and other children in their lives, as well as themselves. “I’m an aunt to eight awesome nieces and nephews,” states SavvyAuntie.com member ‘Aunt Pam’ in a Savvy Auntie Forum post. “Plus, I’m an honorary aunt to some of my friends' kids. I love being an aunt, it's been incredibly rewarding, fun and gets better every year….This site is a great idea. We aunties need recognition!!”
*Fertility of American Women: 2006
About SavvyAuntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts – Aunts by Relation and Aunts by Choice. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can currently be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com
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Savvy Auntie, First Online Community for Aunts, Launches
Contacts:
Melanie Notkin, Founder
Press@savvyauntie.com
Savvy Auntie, First Online Community for Aunts, Launches
Site Targets PANKs (Professional Aunts, No Kids) - the Other 50% of American Women who are Not Moms.
NEW YORK—July 9, 2008—SavvyAuntie.com launches today in Beta form as the first online resource and community for Aunts. The site, which is free to join, is the only one to provide expertise designed specifically for Aunts, gifts for their nieces and nephews, activities and a community where Aunts can connect and share their experiences.
The launch of SavvyAuntie.com comes at a time when the traditional landscape of American women is shifting. “The image of ‘Woman’ as a mom with 2.1 kids is radically changing,” says founder and CEO Melanie Notkin. “It’s estimated that today, non-moms represent 50% of American women, and that number continues to grow.”
Regardless of why these women do not (yet) have kids, children are front-and-center in their lives: “People always tell mothers that having children will change their lives but nobody tells the Aunts that their lives will change too,” says one Savvy Auntie member. “I would do anything for my nieces and nephews. I love them more than I thought I could love anything or anyone.”
“At Savvy Auntie, we call this emerging demographic of American women: “PANKs - Professional Aunts, No Kids,” says Notkin. “PANK is the new pink; it’s the new, modern segment of women finally getting the attention it deserves through Savvy Auntie - the first online community for Aunts.”
PANKs are in the workforce and affluent, controlling or influencing 85% of their household purchasing decisions. While using their discretionary income to indulge their nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends’ kids with gifts and activities, Savvy Aunties also have more time and money than moms for leisure, travel, beauty, fashion, as well as new homes, home improvement, cars and consumer electronics.
Mary Lou Quinlan, CEO of Just Ask a Woman, a consultancy that advises Fortune 500 companies on marketing to women, says, “These professional aunts are loved by their lucky nieces and nephews, yet often overlooked by marketers. Many brands are so focused on moms that they are missing the economic clout of these generous aunts who love to indulge the kids they never had with the gifts and experiences that they can afford. Savvy Auntie is the first site we've seen that's recognizing this powerful segment.”
Dubbed a ‘parenting site for non-parents,’ SavvyAuntie.com provides numerous ways for Aunts to connect and become savvier about kids and what kids love, so they no longer have to rely on a mom or a parenting guide for advice. Through Expertise, Activities, Gifts and Community designed just for Aunts and their perspective, the site provides all the tools Aunts need to get savvier and share their savvy knowledge with other Savvy Aunties.
About SavvyAuntie.com
SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can currently be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com
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Notes to editors: Melanie Notkin is available for interviews. At holiday time, SavvyAuntie.com will provide a list of the top 10 gifts for nieces and nephews.
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