INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

PRINCETON, N.J. — New findings released Tuesday as part of the Trojan U.S. Sex Census revealed the average adult has sex 120 times a year (2.3 times per week), with more people in the Northeast reporting having sex more than any other U.S. region, averaging 130 times per year (2.5 times per week).

The Midwest reported an average of 125 times per year (2.4 times per week), the West reported an average of 120 times per year (2.3 times per week) and the South reported an average of 114 times per year (2.1 times per week).

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that MinuteClinic has formed clinical affiliations with OhioHealth and Cleveland Clinic Florida is important because it further signifies that retail-based clinics are more than just clinics.

(THE NEWS: MinuteClinic, OhioHealth enter strategic clinical affiliation. For the full story, click here.)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Diversity in the corporate sense used to be about hiring. Now for such companies as Walgreens, it means ensuring that the banner resonates among the diverse cultures the retailer serves. It’s more than neighborhood marketing; it’s what Walgreens might refer to as Customer Centric Retailing on a much deeper level.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Walmart opened its first Express stores earlier this month to mixed reviews about the impact of the new format on the company domestic growth. At 15,000 sq. ft., Walmart opened the first Express location in Gentry, Ark., last week, but offered media and investment analysts a preview of the store prior to the company’s shareholders meeting on June 3.

(THE NEWS: Walmart Express makes debut. For the full story, click here.)

BOSTON — Men with prostate cancer are at a higher risk of developing diabetes or diabetes risk factors if they receive a therapy designed to block the production of testosterone, a new study has suggested.

NEW YORK — Natural and organic foods and beverages are expected to realize dramatic growth in 2011 and beyond, following strong U.S. retail sales over the past five years.

According to new research conducted by Packaged Facts, "Natural and Organic Foods and Beverages in the U.S., 3rd Edition," U.S. retail sales of natural and organic foods and beverages rose to nearly $39 billion in 2010, a 9% increase over 2009, and 63% higher than sales five years earlier.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Total U.S. beauty sales in both the food/drug/mass and prestige channels experienced similar trends in first quarter 2011, according to market research providers NPD and SymphonyIRI, although makeup sales fared slightly better within the food/drug/mass channel.

MT. KISCO, N.Y. — Increasingly, social media is leveling the playing field for small- and mid-sized brand marketers, opening new, more affordable and more effective avenues to communicate with consumers versus such traditional media as TV and radio. And new research suggests the balance of power already may be tipping in favor of social marketing, particularly in certain categories and definitely among certain consumers.