Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Tue, Aug 11 1992 Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 04:32:26 EDT Message-ID: 08-11 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update August 11, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network THE HONEYMOON ISN'T OVER: The recession may dampen some people's travel plans, but it isn't getting in the way of America's honeymooners. "While the travel and tourist industry has been getting hit hard over the last two years, the honeymoon market is truly lucrative," says Drew Kerr, a spokesman for Modern Bride magazine. (For more, see special Brides package below.) MORE KIDS HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH: A growing number of students in the USA are taking up a second language - English. A new Department of Education report shows the number of students who speak little English rose more than 14% from 1990 to 1991. The department attributes the increase to a steady stream of immigrants. A total of 2.3 million students with limited English skills are enrolled in U.S. schools. WORDS THAT SELL KEEP CHANGING: New brand names rise and fall with the speed of newspaper headlines. The latest American Demographics magazine reports applications for food and beverage trademarks containing the word "heart" dropped almost 40% between 1990 and 1991. "Pure" dropped 23%, and "fresh" dropped 18%. Increased regulations regarding content claims put the damper on these applications. MORE PEOPLE LOOK FOR `QUALITY': New applications for "light":"lite" and "nature":"natural" increased 25% from 1990 to 1991, reports August's American Demographics. Environmental trademarks continued to be popular, with "envi-" and "eco-" prefixes increasing 21% and 10%, respectively. "Quality" and "value" seemed to sell last year - they increased by 17% and 12%, respectively. U2 THINKING UP PROMOTION IDEAS: U2, which starts the stadium leg of its Zoo-TV tour Wednesday in New York, is considering expanding its inventory of merchandise. Designer condoms were the hot item on the spring tour. Guitarist the Edge has dreamed up Zoo TV logo labels that can be put on shirts, shoes and jeans. No word on when the labels might materialize. BOND FUNDS GETTING BIG: Small investors have stampeded into bond mutual funds this year. The average government bond fund is up 14% including interest and price gains the 12 months ended July 31, according to Lipper Analytical Services. That beats stock funds' 11.4% average gain. Small investors have plowed $8.2 billion a month into bond funds this year, compared with $68 billion all of last year. WHITES WINNING BLACK VOTES: The path to creating new black- and Hispanic-dominated congressional districts has taken an unexpected turn: Whites are running - and winning. When Georgia voters go to the polls Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Charles Hatcher could become the second white candidate to defeat a minority in a district specifically drawn to give minorities an advantage. Some are angered by the trend. AIRFARE WAR HEATS UP: The airfare war continues. United, Trans World Airlines and Delta say they would match each other's cuts in competitive markets. American says it would extend the lower prices to all European routes - a move United said it would match in competitive markets, and TWA and Delta said they would consider. MORE STATES ALLOW LIVING WILLS: Only four states have no provisions spelling out patients' health-care wishes if they are incapacitated. The number of states, including Washington, D.C., with living-will laws has increased steadily since the first one in 1976. The Annenberg Washington Program reports 40 states had living-will laws in 1986; 47 now have living-will laws. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BRIDES: MORE NEWLYWEDS FLYING AWAY: Ongoing surveys of Modern Bride readers show that newlyweds won't let a recession get in the way of their post-wedding bliss. Ninety-eight percent of Modern Bride's respondents in the 1990-91 survey planned on taking a honeymoon. In fact, the honeymooners of the 1990s are more likely to travel by air to far-off destinations than honeymooners in 1986-87. MODERN BRIDE IS GOOD INDICATOR: Modern Bride says its readers represent the overall bridal market. "If you're going to get engaged, plan a wedding, invite guests, purchase a bridal gown, have a ceremony, and take a honeymoon, you're going to read a bridal magazine," says Thom Curtin, travel advertising director for Modern Bride. The average first-time bride's age is about 24.6; average MB reader, 25.4. MANY HONEYMOONING WITHIN USA: Almost half of today's honeymooners say that their destination is within the continental United States, but the share of domestic honeymooners is declining, while the share venturing farther is growing. Two-thirds of today's honeymooners plan to spend at least part of their trip outside the continental USA, compared with 58% in 1987. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM