Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends,americast.usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Wed, Oct 14 1992 Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 04:48:25 EDT Message-ID: 10-14 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update Oct. 14, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network STUDY SHOWS SHOPPING PATTERNS: As the melting pot image of America takes on the appearance of a mosaic, one-size-fits-all marketing will need to be shelved, says marketing consultant Wendy Liebmann of WSL Marketing. Liebmann recently conducted a study of women's retail shopping habits in Lancaster and Palmdale, Calif., ethnically diverse cities. (For more, see special Shopping package below.) AIDS TRADING CARDS COMING: Get ready for AIDS trading cards. Eclipse Enterprises of Forestville, Calif., is coming out with a 110-card set on AIDS next year. They'll be sold 12 to a pack - plus a condom - for $1. Well-known AIDS victims will be featured on the card, along with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor who've helped AIDS sufferers, and information about the disease. ADVERTISERS ARE CAUTIOUS: Like consumers they sell to, the nation's top advertisers are cautious about how much money they're going to spend. Advertising executives were in Hot Springs, Va., this week for a meeting of the Association of National Advertisers. Companies are delaying plans for ad spending in 1993 until after the Presidential election and until they know how strong fourth-quarter revenue will be. SLOW AD SPENDING PREDICTED: Most ad executives say 1993 will be a slow year for ad spending. "Ad spending is likely to hold flat over the next year," says Ross Love, advertising vice president for Procter & Gamble, the nation's largest advertiser. Love says by 1994, ad spending should be back up. But some plan increases this year, especially those marketing new products. That's a rule for hot technology products. TRAVELERS CAN SAVE: The worst downturn in history is still gripping the hotel industry, so consumers will continue to get bargain room rates, says PKF Consulting. PKF's annual hotel survey says hotel occupancy rates will average just 66.8% this year and 67.9% next year. Room rates in large cities should average $78 a night this year, up just 64 cents from last year. LASER USE IS SPREADING: Medical use of the laser's high-intensity light beam has rapidly spread across the country and across most specialties. There are more than 20,000 lasers, accounting for at least 5% of all surgical procedures. But with that growth has come unfounded claims, feeding on the public's desire for high-tech, "Star Wars" medicine. The false underlying message: A laser is always better. MORE IN COLLEGE REGISTER: GreenVote is registering thousands of college students. At the University of Michigan, 6,100 students registered in one week, while Harvard and Yale are competing to see which campus registers a higher percentage of its school population. GreenVote is part of a drive to increase environmental participation in the elections. Claim: More than 80% of students who are registered actually vote. MORE WANT BEAUTY MARKS: Beauty marks are in, according to Elle magazine's October issue. Model Cindy Crawford, who has a small mole at the left corner of her mouth, can take credit for the current fashion fascination with beauty marks. To create a mark of distinction, Elle suggests drawing a small circle with brown eyebrow pencil, then filling it in with black eyeliner. MEN OFFER `SEX CONTRACT': The National Center for Men is distributing a "consensual sex contract" on campuses and elsewhere. "We think there is an epidemic of false rape accusations," says director Mel Feit, a former actor and publicist from New York. A press release from the group calls such accusations "the most pressing danger (a man) faces from heterosexual intercourse in the nineties." SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SHOPPING: WAREHOUSES GAIN POPULARITY: Besides identifying differences in shopping patterns among the ethnic groups, a study by WSL Marketing confirmed the continuing growth and importance of discount store shopping a regular shopping venue. Warehouse clubs continue to emerge as everyday places to shop - especially for food. Liebmann says they represent a significant threat to supermarkets. BLACKS LOOK FOR PROMOTIONS: Black consumers were found to be motivated to shop at a particular supermarket or store was driven by special sales or promotions. Blacks were, therefore, much less likely to shop in stores with everyday low prices, such as Wal-Mart. WHITES CHOOSE WAL-MART: White consumers were less motivated to choose a store because of its location and put more emphasis on product quality (along with Hispanics). Whites also tend to shop more at Wal-Mart and Costco (along with Hispanics) and cut back on department store shopping (along with blacks.) (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