What is Stress and How to Deal with Stress

We generally use the word "stress" when we feel that everything seems to have become too much - we are overloaded and wonder whether we really can cope with the pressures placed upon us. Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Some stresses get you going and they are good for you - without any stress at all many say our lives would be boring and would probably feel pointless. However, when the stresses undermine both our mental and physical health they are bad. In this text we shall be focusing on stress that is bad for you.

The difference between "stress" and "a stressor" - a stressor is an agent or stimulus that causes stress. Stress is the feeling we have when under pressure, while stressors are the things we respond to in our environment. Examples of stressors are noises, unpleasant people, a speeding car, or even going out on a first date. Generally (but not always), the more stressors we experience, the more stressed we feel.

Fight or flight response

The way you respond to a challenge may also be a type of stress. Part of your response to a challenge is physiological and affects your physical state. When faced with a challenge or a threat, your body activates resources to protect you - to either get away as fast as you can, or fight.

If you are upstairs at home and an earthquake starts, the faster you can get yourself and your family out the more likely you are all to survive. If you need to save somebody's life during that earthquake, by lifting a heavy weight that has fallen on them, you will need components in your body to be activated to give you that extra strength - that extra push.

Our fight-or-flight response is our body's sympathetic nervous system reacting to a stressful event. Our body produces larger quantities of the chemicals cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, which trigger a higher heart rate, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness - all these factors help us protect ourselves in a dangerous or challenging situation.

Non-essential body functions slow down, such as our digestive and immune systems when we are in fight-or flight response mode. All resources can then be concentrated on rapid breathing, blood flow, alertness and muscle use.

When we are stressed the following happens:

• Blood pressure rises
• Breathing becomes more rapid
• Digestive system slows down
• Heart rate (pulse) rises
• Immune system goes down
• Muscles become tense
• We do not sleep (heightened state of alertness)

Most of us have varying interpretations of what stress is about and what matters. Some of us focus on what happens to us, such as breaking a bone or getting a promotion, while others think more about the event itself. What really matters are our thoughts about the situations in which we find ourselves.

We are continually sizing up situations that confront us in life. We assess each situation, deciding whether something is a threat, how we can deal with it and what resources we can use. If we conclude that the required resources needed to effectively deal with a situation are beyond what we have available, we say that that situation is stressful - and we react with a classical stress response. On the other hand, if we decide our available resources and skills are more than enough to deal with a situation, it is not seen as stressful to us.

How we respond to stress affects our health

1. We do not all interpret each situation in the same way.
2. Because of this, we do not all call on the same resources for each situation
3. We do not all have the same resources and skills.

Some situations which are not negative ones may still be perceived as stressful. This is because we think we are not completely prepared to cope with them effectively. Examples being: having a baby, moving to a nicer house, and being promoted. Having a baby is usually a wonderful thing, so is being promoted or moving to a nicer house. But, moving house is a well-known source of stress.

It is important to learn that what matters more than the event itself is usually our thoughts about the event when we are trying to manage stress. How you see that stressful event will be the largest single factor that impacts on your physical and mental health. Your interpretation of events and challenges in life may decide whether they are invigorating or harmful for you.

A persistently negative response to challenges will eventually have a negative effect on your health and happiness. Experts say people who tend to perceive things negatively need to understand themselves and their reactions to stress-provoking situations better. Then they can learn to manage stress more successfully.

Perception of stress affects heart attack risk - people who believe their stress is affecting their health in a big way are twice as likely to have a heart attack ten years later, according to researchers at the University of Western Ontario.

First author, Dr Hermann Nabi, believes that doctors should bear in mind patients' subjective perceptions of stress when deciding on treatment.

In another study carried out at Pennsylvania State University, the investigators found that stress was not the problem, but rather how we react to stressors. It appears that how patients react to stress is a predictor of their health a decade later, regardless of their present health and stressors.

Lead researcher, Professor David Almeida said "For example, if you have a lot of work to do today and you are really grumpy because of it, then you are more likely to suffer negative health consequences 10 years from now than someone who also has a lot of work to do today, but doesn't let it bother her."


Some of the effects of stress on your body, your thoughts and feelings, and on your behavior:

Effect on your body

• A tendency to sweat
• Back pain
• Chest pain
• Childhood obesity - researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia published a report in Pediatrics in October 2012 explaining that a number of stressors from parents can increase the risk of obesity in their children. Lead researcher, Elizabeth Prout-Parks, M.D., said "Stress in parents may be an important risk factor for child obesity and related behaviors. The severity and number of stressors are important."
  
  Examples of stressors include mental health problems, poor physical health, financial strain, and trying to manage in a single-parent household.
• Cramps or muscle spasms
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fainting spells
• Headache
• Heart disease
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Loss of libido
• Lower immunity against diseases
• Muscular aches
• Nail biting
• Nervous twitches
• Pins and needles
• Sleeping difficulties
• Stomach upset
Effect on your thoughts and feelings

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Burnout
• Depression
• Feeling of insecurity
• Forgetfulness
• Irritability
• Problem concentrating
• Restlessness
• Sadness
• Fatigue
Effect on your behavior

• Eating too much
• Eating too little
• Food cravings
• Sudden angry outbursts
• Drug abuse                                                                               
  
• Alcohol abuse
• Higher tobacco consumption
• Social withdrawal                                                        
• Frequent crying
• Relationship problems

What are the causes of stress?

We all react differently to stressful situations. What one person finds stressful another may not at all. Almost anything can cause stress and it has different triggers. For some people, on some occasions, just thinking about something, or several small things that accumulate, can cause stress.

The most common causes of stress are:

• Bereavement
• Family problems
• Financial matters
• Illness
• Job issues - according to a UK charity "Mind", work is the leading cause of stress in British people's lives, concerning factors that may have a significant impact on their wellbeing.
• Lack of time
• Moving home
• Relationships (including divorce)
The following are also causes of stress

• Abortion
• Becoming a mother or a father
• Conflicts in the workplace
• Driving in bad traffic
• Fear of crime
• Losing your job
• Miscarriage
• Noisy neighbors
• Overcrowding
• Pollution
• Pregnancy
• Retirement
• Too much noise
• Uncertainty (awaiting laboratory test results, academic exam results, job interview results, etc)
It is possible that a person feels stressed and no clear cause is identified. A feeling of frustration, anxiety and depression can make some people feel stressed more easily than others.

Maternal stress and bullying later on at school

If a mother experiences severe mental stress during her pregnancy, there is a greater risk that her child will be bullied at school later on, researchers from the University of Warwick, England, reported in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

The researchers had gathered and examined data on 14,000 moms and 8,829 children. They evaluated mothers' post-natal period, family adversity, anxiety and depression during pregnancy, as well as bullying incidences among their children aged from 7 to 10 years.

They found that mental stress during pregnancy impacted on the child's chances of being bullied later on.

Lead researcher, Professor Dieter Wolke, said "Changes in the stress response system can affect behavior and how children react emotionally to stress such as being picked on by a bully. Children who more easily show a stress reaction such as crying, running away, anxiety are then selected by bullies to home in to. The whole thing becomes a vicious cycle, a child with an altered stress response system is more likely to be bullied, which affects their stress response even further and increases the likelihood of them developing mental health problems in later life."


Diagnosis of stress

A good primary care physician (GP - General Practitioner) should be able to diagnose stress based on the patient's symptoms alone. Some doctors may wish to run some tests, such as a blood or urine, or a health assessment.

The diagnosis of stress depends on many factors and is complex, say experts. A wide range of approaches to stress diagnosis have been used by health care professionals, such as the use of questionnaires, biochemical measures, and physiological techniques. Experts add that the majority of these methods are subject to experimental error and should be viewed with caution. The most practicable way to diagnose stress and its effects on a person is through a comprehensive, stress-oriented, face-to-face interview.


How to deal with stress

There are three broad methods you can follow to treat stress, they include self-help, self management, and medication.

Self help for treating stress

Exercise - exercise has been proven to have a beneficial effect on a person's mental and physical state. For many people exercise is an extremely effective stress buster.

Division of labor - try to delegate your responsibilities at work, or share them. If you make yourself indispensable the likelihood of your feeling highly stressed is significantly greater.

Assertiveness - don't say yes to everything. If you can't do something well, or if something is not your responsibility, try to seek ways of not agreeing to do them.

Alcohol and drugs - alcohol and drugs will not help you manage your stress better. Either stop consuming them completely, or cut down.

Caffeine - if your consumption of coffee and other drinks which contain caffeine is high, cut down.

Nutrition - eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Make sure you have a healthy and balanced diet.

Time - make sure you set aside some time each day just for yourself. Use that time to organize your life, relax, and pursue your own interests.

Breathing - there are some effective breathing techniques which will slow down your system and help you relax.

Talk - talk to you family, friends, work colleagues and your boss. Express your thoughts and worries.

Seek professional help - if the stress is affecting the way you function; go and see your doctor. Heightened stress for prolonged periods can be bad for your physical and mental health.

Relaxation techniques - mediation, massage, or yoga have been known to greatly help people with stress.

Stress management techniques

Stress management can help you to either remove or change the source of stress, alter the way you view a stressful event, lower the impact that stress might have on your body, and teach you alternative ways of coping. Stress management therapy will have the objective of pursuing one or more of these approaches.

Stress management techniques can be gained if you read self-help books, or attend a stress management course. You can also seek the help of a counselor or psychotherapist for personal development or therapy sessions.

Many therapies which help you relax, such as aromatherapy, or reflexology, may have a beneficial effect.
MEDICINES

Doctors will not usually prescribe medications for coping with stress, unless the patient has an underlying illness, such as depression or some type of anxiety. If that is the case, the doctor is actually treating a mental illness. In such cases, an antidepressant may be prescribed. Bear in mind that there is a risk that all the medication will do is mask the stress, rather than help you deal and cope with it.
 

List of Different types of Marketing Strategies.

Marketing is a strategy used by companies to communicate with the consumer and make him knowledgeable about the various features of their products and services. It is an essential part of attracting the target buyers to a particular product, and companies use various innovative or tried-and-tested techniques to stay ahead of their competitors and make their place in the market.
Here are some of the most popular and effective types of marketing:


Affinity Marketing -  Also known as Partnership Marketing, this technique links complementary brands, thereby creating strategic partnerships that benefit both companies. While one adds value to existing customers by generating more income, the other builds new customer relationships.

Alliance Marketing - Here two or more entities come together to pool in their resources to promote and sell a product or service, which will not only benefit their stakeholders, but also have a greater impact on the market.

Ambush Marketing - This strategy is used by advertisers to capitalize on and associated themselves with a specific event without the payment of any sponsorship fee, thereby bringing down the value of sponsorship. It has sub-categories like direct or predatory ambushing or indirect ambushing by association, to name a few.

Call to Action (CTA) Marketing - CTA is a part of inbound marketing used on websites in the form of a banner, text or graphic, where it is meant to prompt a person to click it and move into the conversion funnel, that is, from searching to navigating an online store to converting to a sale.

Close Range Marketing (CRM) - Also known as Proximity Marketing, CRM uses Bluetooth

technology or Wi-Fi to promote their products and services to their customers at close proximity.

Cloud Marketing - This refers to the type of marketing that takes place on the internet, where all the marketing resources and assets are transferred online so that the respective parties can develop, modify, utilize and share them.

Community Marketing - This technique caters to the needs and requirements of the existing customers, as opposed to using resources to gather new consumers. This promotes loyalty and product satisfaction and also gives rise to word of mouth marketing among the community.

Content Marketing - In this case, content is created and published on various platforms to give information about a certain product or service to potential customers and to influence them, without making a direct sales pitch.

Cross-media Marketing - As the name suggests, multiple channels like emails, letters, web pages etc. are used to give information about products and services to customers in the form of cross promotion.

Database Marketing - This utilizes and information from database of customers or potential consumers to create customized communication strategies through any media in order to promote products and services.

Digital Marketing - This strategy uses various digital devices like smartphones, computers, tablets or digital billboards to inform customers and business partners about its products. Internet Marketing is a key element in Digital Marketing.

Direct Marketing - This is a wide term which refers to the technique where organizations communicate directly with the consumer through mail, email, texts, fliers and various promotional materials.

Diversity Marketing - The aim of this strategy is to take into account the different diversities in a culture in terms of beliefs, expectations, tastes and needs and then create a customized marketing plan to target those consumers effectively.

Evangelism Marketing - It is similar to word-of-mouth marketing, where a company develops customers who become voluntary advocates of a product and who promote its features and benefits on behalf of the company.

Freebie Marketing - Here a particular item is sold at low rates, or is given away free, to boost the sales of another complimentary item or service.

Free Sample Marketing - Unlike Freebie Marketing, this is not dependent on complimentary marketing, but rather consists of giving away a free sample of the product to influence the consumer to make the purchase.

Guerrilla Marketing - Unconventional and inexpensive techniques with imagination, big crowds and a surprise element are used for marketing something, a popular example being flash mobs.

By keeping in mind the distinctive features of the product, the demographics of the target consumer and their spending power, and the current strategies of existing companies, an effective marketing strategy may be successfully created.
The types of marketing keep evolving with new developments in technology and changes in the socio-economic structure of a market. I try to keep up, and update the list as things develop. Please let me know if I’ve forgotten anything from the list by leaving a comment.

              

How To do Market Research - The Basics

Is your business a product in search of a customer? Use these tips to create a product or service customers will clamor for.


Marketing research can give a business a picture of what kinds of new products and services may bring a profit. For products and services already available, marketing research can tell companies whether they are meeting their customers' needs and expectations. By researching the answers to specific questions, small-business owners can learn whether they need to change their package design or tweak their delivery methods--and even whether they should consider offering additional services.
"Failure to do market research before you begin a business venture or during its operation is like driving a car from Texas to New York without a map or street signs," says William Bill of Wealth Design Group LLC in Houston. "You have know which direction to travel and how fast to go. A good market research plan indicates where and who your customers are. It will also tell you when they are most likely and willing to purchase your goods or use your services."
When you conduct marketing research, you can use the results either to create a business and marketing plan or to measure the success of your current plan. That's why it's important to ask the right questions, in the right way, of the right people. Research, done poorly, can steer a business in the wrong direction. Here are some market-research basics that can help get you started and some mistakes to avoid.
Types of Market Research
Primary Research: The goal of primary research is to gather data from analyzing current sales and the effectiveness of current practices. Primary research also takes competitors' plans into account, giving you information about your competition.
Collecting primary research can include:

• Interviews (either by telephone or face-to-face)
• Surveys (online or by mail)
• Questionnaires (online or by mail)
• Focus groups gathering a sampling of potential clients or customers and getting their direct feedback

Some important questions might include:

• What factors do you consider when purchasing this product or service?
• What do you like or dislike about current products or services currently on the market?
• What areas would you suggest for improvement?
• What is the appropriate price for a product or service?

Secondary Research: The goal of secondary research is to analyze data that has already been published. With secondary data, you can identify competitors, establish benchmarks and identify target segments. Your segments are the people who fall into your targeted demographic--people who live a certain lifestyle, exhibit particular behavioral patterns or fall into a predetermined age group.

Collecting Data
No small business can succeed without understanding its customers, its products and services, and the market in general. Competition is often fierce, and operating without conducting research may give your competitors an advantage over you.

There are two categories of data collection: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative methods employ mathematical analysis and require a large sample size. The results of this data shed light on statistically significant differences. One place to find quantitative results if you have a website is in your web analytics (available in Google's suite of tools). This information can help you determine many things, such as where your leads are coming from, how long visitors are staying on your site and from which page they are exiting.

Qualitative methods help you develop and fine-tune your quantitative research methods. They can help business owners define problems and often use interview methods to learn about customers' opinions, values and beliefs. With qualitative research, the sample size is usually small.

Many new business owners, often strapped for time and money, may take shortcuts that can later backfire. Here are three pitfalls to avoid.

Common Marketing Mistakes

1. Using only secondary research. Relying on the published work of others doesn't give you the full picture. It can be a great place to start, of course, but the information you get from secondary research can be outdated. You can miss out on other factors relevant to your business.
2. Using only web resources. When you use common search engines to gather information, you get only data that are available to everyone and it may not be fully accurate. To perform deeper searches while staying within your budget, use the resources at your local library, college campus or small-business center.
3. Surveying only the people you know. Small-business owners sometimes interview only family members and close colleagues when conducting research, but friends and family are often not the best survey subjects. To get the most useful and accurate information, you need to talk to real customers about their needs, wants and expectations.

 

The Benefits of Criticism

I Know this topic which I am going to publish is totally not relating to marketing but it came in my mind to write here all of sudden which will helpful to most of people.

 

The Benefits of Criticism:

Personal Growth

1. Looking for seeds of truth in criticism encourages humility. It’s not easy to take an honest look at yourself and your weaknesses, but you can only grow if you’re willing to try.
2. Learning from criticism allows you to improve. Almost every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualize.
3. Criticism opens you up to new perspectives and new ideas you may not have considered. Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand your thinking.
4. Your critics give you an opportunity to practice active listening. This means you resist the urge to analyze in your head, planning your rebuttal, and simply consider what the other person is saying.
5. You have the chance to practice forgiveness when you come up against harsh critics. Most of us carry around stress and frustration that we unintentionally misdirect from time to time.

Emotional Benefits

6. It’s helpful to learn how to sit with the discomfort of an initial emotional reaction instead of immediately acting or retaliating. All too often we want to do something with our feelings—generally not a great idea!
7. Criticism gives you the chance to foster problem solving skills, which isn’t always easy when you’re feeling sensitive, self-critical, or annoyed with your critic.
8. Receiving criticism that hits a sensitive spot helps you explore unresolved issues. Maybe you’re sensitive about your intelligence because you’re holding onto something someone said to you years ago—something you need to release.
9. Interpreting someone else’s feedback is an opportunity for rational thinking—sometimes, despite a negative tone, criticism is incredibly useful.

10. Criticism encourages you to question your instinctive associations and feelings; praise is good, criticism is bad. If we recondition ourselves to see things in less black and white terms, there’s no stop to how far we can go!

Improved Relationships

11. Criticism presents an opportunity to choose peace over conflict. Oftentimes, when criticized our instinct is to fight, creating unnecessary drama. The people around us generally want to help us, not judge us.
12. Fielding criticism well helps you mitigate the need to be right. Nothing closes an open mind like ego—bad for your personal growth, and damaging for relationships.
13. Your critics give you an opportunity to challenge any people-pleasing tendencies. Relationships based on a constant need for approval can be draining for everyone involved. It’s liberating to let people think whatever they want—they’re going to do it anyway.
14. Criticism gives you the chance to teach people how to treat you. If someone delivers it poorly, you can take this opportunity to tell them, “I think you make some valid points, but I would receive them better if you didn’t raise your voice.”
15. Certain pieces of criticism teach you not to sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that your boyfriend thinks you load the dishwasher “wrong.”

Time Efficiency

16. The more time you spend dwelling about what someone said, the less time you have to do something with it.
17. If you improve how you operate after receiving criticism, this will save time and energy in the future. When you think about from that perspective—criticism as a time saver—it’s hard not to appreciate it!
18. Fostering the ability to let go of your feelings and thoughts about being critiqued can help you let go in other areas of your life. Letting go of worries, regrets, stresses, fears, and even positive feelings helps you root yourself in the present moment. Mindfulness is always the most efficient use of time.
19. Criticism reinforces the power of personal space. Taking 10 minutes to process your emotions, perhaps by writing in a journal, will ensure you respond well. And responding the well the first time prevents one critical comment from dominating your day.
20. In some cases, criticism teaches you how to interact with a person, if they’re negative or hostile, for example. Knowing this can save you a lot of time and stress in the future.

Self Confidence

21. Learning to receive false criticism—feedback that has no constructive value—without losing your confidence is a must if you want to do big things in life. The more attention your work receives, the more criticism you’ll have to field.
22. When someone criticizes you, it shines a light on your own insecurities. If you secretly agree that you’re lazy, you should get to the root of that. Why do you believe that—and what can you do about it?
23. Learning to move forward after criticism, even if you don’t feel incredibly confident, ensures no isolated comment prevents you from seizing your dreams. Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff; takes what’s useful, leave the rest, and keep going!
24. When someone else appraises your harshly, you have an opportunity to monitor your internal self-talk. Research indicates up to 80% of our thoughts are negative. Take this opportunity to monitor and change your thought processes so you don’t drain and sabotage yourself!
25. Receiving feedback well reminds you it’s OK to have flaws—imperfection is part of being human. If you can admit weakness and work on them without getting down on yourself, you’ll experience far more happiness, peace, enjoyment, and success.
We are all perfectly imperfect, and other people may notice that from time to time. We may even notice in it each other.
Somehow accepting that is a huge weight off my mind.

5 Surprising Marketing Trends for 2013

With reference to FORBES, It feels like every January we see list after list of business forecasts for the year to come. More often than not these lists feel a bit repetitive and not all that inspiring. Well – and not to give 2013 an overblown ego – we feel fairly confident that this year will see a departure from the usual, predictable trends in small business marketing in favor of some refreshing, enthusing changes.  Here’s a peek at what we see coming down the road in terms of small business marketing:

Smarter social media

The last few years have been all about every business feeling obligated to create a dynamic presence on every social media platform. Now that we’re getting the idea that the set of hot social media sites is never going to be a static group, that there will always be the hot social media outlet du jour, the idea that we should all feel pressed to utilize and engage on every available front is not only unreasonable, it’s a strategy that could only lead to depressingly disparate engagement. Instead, we believe 2013 will be the year that small businesses become confident and adept enough at social media integration to pick the specific platforms that make the most sense for their business. The reality is not all social media sources are perfectly suited to every industry. This year businesses should decide which platforms are the most worthwhile places to reach their audience, thus hopefully seeing greater returns as a result.

Simplicity will reign supreme

Maybe it was “Gangnam Style” that pushed us over the edge of overstimulation, however as we embark upon a new year, the overwhelming feeling among consumers is one of exhaustion. There is a sense that from the hyper-connectivity of our highly-digitized lives to the bright, flashy, complicated sensory input we’re fed everyday, there is no way to continue at this pace. As a result, 2013 is likely to be a year where the most successful marketing strategies will be ones that are not only simple in nature, but promote goods and services that serve to simplify the consumer’s life, or even just their customer experience.

Campaign-based marketing will take a break

As a marketing strategy, campaigns are great…in theory. The problem with focusing on a tactic that involves a set group of marketing activities and processes centered around one theme is that it operates on a company-based timeline. Inherently, this neglects to account for the timeline of the customer, which is, at this point, almost entirely real time. Up until now, companies have been progressively integrating social media and real time customer engagement as a supplement to campaign-based marketing. We think that from here on out, real time marketing, through social media and websites, will be the focus. We are excited to see what inspired strategies come about.

Marketing will be more tied to revenue generation

We were fairly surprised to read a recent study by Fournaise Marketing Group that cited 73% of executives do not believe that marketing significantly ties to creating revenue. This is not great logic; 2013 will be the year everyone catches up. Instead of just measuring lead generation, marketing’s worth to a company will start being weighed against sales growth. This could entirely change marketing’s key performance indicators, which, ideally, will lead to a more effective marketing department altogether.

Mobile will get its due

Last year, more people purchased smartphones than PCs. Seriously. While it feels like we hear the word “mobile” more than our own names these days, global marketers haven’t entirely caught up; 90% of them have a mobile site, but only 20% include mobile strategies as a fully integrated part of their overall marketing plan. If nothing else on this list comes to fruition, count on “mobile” being a bigger, bolder line item on every major marketer’s strategy this year.

India, the great market for childrens's products

India could be the world's largest market for children's products in the coming years. Obviously, this is not a short term trend, but given the country's birth rates and the good economic forecasts, opportunities are bound to arise.

For example the Indian toy market could double its turnover by 2015, up to €2.2 billion, ten times less than total 2011 revenue of the main market, the US, but near the €3.5 billion of the UK and France, and reaching the revenue of the Eastern Europe countries.



According to a report by Spielwarenmesse, India has more than 800 toy manufacturers and distributors, which employ about two and a half million people. 60% of the market is controlled by Indian and multinational companies with subsidiaries in the country. These companies are increasingly providing higher quality products.

In fact, parents are spending more money every year in higher priced toys, although 43.8% of the market continues focused on cheaper products, under 100 rupees (€1.5), according to a report by Euromonitor. The upper ranges are increasing their share, with 29.2% for toys between 100 and 200 rupees (€1.5-3) and approximately 10% for each of the upper ranges (€3 to €6, between €6 and €10, and more than €10).

In addition, multinationals are also increasing their presence and market share. Also according to Euromonitor, between 2008 and 2010, the share of Mattel has increased from 15.2% to 18.5%, while Hasbro's share reached 14.3% from the previous 10.7%. Both companies are the top toy manufacturers in the country.

Lego, with 1.1% also has an important presence, as well as Meccano, with 0.4%. The Indian company with the highest share is Hanung Toys & Textiles, with a 4.3% market share, as much of the industry remains dominated by small and regional businesses.

The distribution sector has even more challenges ahead: it consists mostly of independent retailers, who control 65% of turnover, but there is a clear tendency towards organization and retail groups.

The key: birth rates
The forecasts are also good for the childcare market, that could grow 12% annually through 2014, with increased participation of international companies and increasing brands demand, especially in rural areas.

Both sectors will boosted by the fact that India is the country with more births per year: 25 million, surpassing the 18 million of China. Moreover, 30% of the Indian population is under 14, compared to 15% in Spain, 19% in France, 20% in the US and 19% in China.

Currently, India is the second most populous country, with about 1.240 billion people. China remains the first, with 1.34 billion, but the UN expects India to become the most populous country at the end of the decade, largely due to Chines birth control policies.

The greatest challenge: the economy
The economic situation in India is not as good as it could be. According to Unicef, in 2009 the infant mortality rate of children under one year was of 50 per thousand (in Spain is 4). In addition, 18% of newborns showed low weight (in Spain, 6%), the literacy rate for men aged 15 to 24 years was of 88%, while for women it reached 74% (in Spain, 100%). And the income per capita was $1,170 per year (in Spain, is of $31,870).

The outlook is positive. India's GDP reached $4.06 trillion in 2010 and is now the fourth largest in the world, behind China ($10 trillion), Japan ($14 trillion) and the US ($15 trillion). In addition, GDP is growing at a rate of 9.1% (2009) and 8.8% (2010), in great part thanks to the fact that the country has spent years establishing itself as an exporter of technology and software services.

Furthermore, with all the difficulties and contradictions, India is a democracy since 1947, a fact that facilitates not only the relations with the West, but the expectations of future economic improvement of its citizens. Of course, the great problem is the existing inequalities, that should be faced and solved.

India could be the world's largest market for children's products in the coming years. Obviously, this is not a short term trend, but given the country's birth rates and the good economic forecasts, opportunities are bound to arise.

For example the Indian toy market could double its turnover by 2015, up to €2.2 billion, ten times less than total 2011 revenue of the main market, the US, but near the €3.5 billion of the UK and France, and reaching the revenue of the Eastern Europe countries.

According to a report by Spielwarenmesse, India has more than 800 toy manufacturers and distributors, which employ about two and a half million people. 60% of the market is controlled by Indian and multinational companies with subsidiaries in the country. These companies are increasingly providing higher quality products.

In fact, parents are spending more money every year in higher priced toys, although 43.8% of the market continues focused on cheaper products, under 100 rupees (€1.5), according to a report by Euromonitor. The upper ranges are increasing their share, with 29.2% for toys between 100 and 200 rupees (€1.5-3) and approximately 10% for each of the upper ranges (€3 to €6, between €6 and €10, and more than €10).

In addition, multinationals are also increasing their presence and market share. Also according to Euromonitor, between 2008 and 2010, the share of Mattel has increased from 15.2% to 18.5%, while Hasbro's share reached 14.3% from the previous 10.7%. Both companies are the top toy manufacturers in the country.

Lego, with 1.1% also has an important presence, as well as Meccano, with 0.4%. The Indian company with the highest share is Hanung Toys & Textiles, with a 4.3% market share, as much of the industry remains dominated by small and regional businesses.

The distribution sector has even more challenges ahead: it consists mostly of independent retailers, who control 65% of turnover, but there is a clear tendency towards organization and retail groups.

The key: birth rates
The forecasts are also good for the childcare market, that could grow 12% annually through 2014, with increased participation of international companies and increasing brands demand, especially in rural areas.

Both sectors will boosted by the fact that India is the country with more births per year: 25 million, surpassing the 18 million of China. Moreover, 30% of the Indian population is under 14, compared to 15% in Spain, 19% in France, 20% in the US and 19% in China.

Currently, India is the second most populous country, with about 1.240 billion people. China remains the first, with 1.34 billion, but the UN expects India to become the most populous country at the end of the decade, largely due to Chines birth control policies.

The greatest challenge: the economy
The economic situation in India is not as good as it could be. According to Unicef, in 2009 the infant mortality rate of children under one year was of 50 per thousand (in Spain is 4). In addition, 18% of newborns showed low weight (in Spain, 6%), the literacy rate for men aged 15 to 24 years was of 88%, while for women it reached 74% (in Spain, 100%). And the income per capita was $1,170 per year (in Spain, is of $31,870).

The outlook is positive. India's GDP reached $4.06 trillion in 2010 and is now the fourth largest in the world, behind China ($10 trillion), Japan ($14 trillion) and the US ($15 trillion). In addition, GDP is growing at a rate of 9.1% (2009) and 8.8% (2010), in great part thanks to the fact that the country has spent years establishing itself as an exporter of technology and software services.

Furthermore, with all the difficulties and contradictions, India is a democracy since 1947, a fact that facilitates not only the relations with the West, but the expectations of future economic improvement of its citizens. Of course, the great problem is the existing inequalities, that should be faced and solved.