Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Fri, Apr 3 1992 Date: Fri, 3 Apr 92 05:43:48 EST Message-ID: 04-03 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update April 3-5, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network LISTENERS LIKE MUSIC FROM HEART: For the millions of music fans who march to the relentless beat of MTV, there are millions more who'd dance to something more mellow. For them, there's Heartland Music. Viewers probably have seen the company's pitches. During a given week, Heartland commercials may air as many as 1,200 times, pushing pan-flutist Gheorghes Zamfir or balladdeer Roger Whittaker. (For more, see special Heartland package below.) MIAMIANS HAVE LANGUAGE BARRIER: Half of Miami's 359,000 residents say they have trouble communicating in English, new numbers from the 1990 Census show. hat's up sharply from the 30% who said that 10 years ago. It shows the influx of Hispanic and Creole-speaking Haitian immigrants. In the last 10 years, Miami's population grew 3.4%. At the same time its Hispanic population grew by 15%, making it 62% Hispanic. CHUCKS STILL GOING STRONG: The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star basketball shoe turns 75 this week. Kicked off the pro basketball court in the mid-70s by leather performance shoes, "Chucks" still remain a classic. But instead of being on the feet of NBA players, they're now worn by everyone from rock stars (The Rolling Stones chose them as their official Steel Wheels tour shoe) to girls who want them in plaid and purple. CHILD ABUSE NUMBERS RISE: Deaths from child abuse were up 10% from 1990 to 1991. The National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse says the increase reflects the hard economic times. Of the deaths, which totaled 1383, 64% were from physical abuse and 36% were from neglect. Of the victims, 79% were younger than 5; 54% were younger than one. OFFICIALS DISCUSS TB RISE: Tuberculosis is "at the meltdown stage" in new York City, where one in six TB patients live, but may be slowing in the USA as a whole, say health experts. At a Centers for Disease Control meeting near Atlanta Thursday, experts said it's too early to call the recent rises in TB a trend, although the disease increased 2% in 1991 and 9% in 1990. MOVING COSTS MOVE DOWN: The average cost companies paid to relocate an employee who is a homeowner is going down after several years of increase, according to Runzheimer International. In 1991, average cost was $44,804, down from $45,620 in 1990. That was an increase from nearly $41,000 in 1989 and just $36,891 in 1988. Costs had been rising steadily since 1986 before dropping last year. TAXPAYERS SAVING REFUNDS: Taxpayers are holding on to their refunds this spring. The reason: The economy. In telephone interviews with 20 taxpayers receiving refunds this tax season, only two plan to spend it. The rest expect to save the money or pay debts, particularly on credit cards. Despite encouraging economic news, consumers are nervous. Top worry: The feeble recovery economist say is here could die. MORE FIRMS TESTING FOR DRUGS: The number of companies that test for drugs increased in 1991, according to a survey of nearly 1,200 firms by American Management Association. Three-fourths of all large companies test at least some of their employees and applicants. The figure represents an 18% rise from 1990 and a 250% increase over the past five years. HOME EQUITY DROPS: An ominous trend in land prices could signal long-term trouble for the USA's homeowners. The Federal Reserve says owners saw home equity - the difference between home value and mortgage debt - fall an average $6,300 in 1990. Main reason for the 17% drop: An alarming fall in land values. Home equity has fallen three times since the Fed began measuring it in 1945. SONOCO WILL TAKE BAGS BACK: Plastic-bag recycling has been available at supermarkets for several years. Now there's additional support. Sonoco Products, which has been recycling plastic grocery bags for two years, has agreed to accept returns from 9,000 supermarkets. Other manufacturers do the same with 7,000 other supermarkets. Return rates - 5% - climb to 12% with supermarket publicity, Sonoco says. CORRECTION: GM's top executives were paid $7.4 million in long-term incentives last year. An item in Trends on Thursday was wrong. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON HEARTLAND: FANS DON'T FAVOR STORES: Heartland Music, seller of Roger Whittaker, has become a leading mail-order company because of sophisticated use of commercials to reach music fans who seldom visit record stores. Heartland sells 4 million to 5 million albums per year. Direct marketing "began with the pocket fisherman ... and a lot of artists" thought it would hurt their careers, says PolyGram's Mark Fine. ALBUMS WOULD BE ON CHARTS: Fine believes TV marketing is "possibly the wave of the future." Today, such major companies as Time Warner pitch records on the air alongside Heartlands and competitors like Sessions. Albums from Heartland's best-selling artists would land on Billboard charts if they tracked mail-order sales, according to Heartland President Ira Pittelman. `ATTITUDES ARE CHANGING': Artists are more comfortable with TV marketing than before, says Pittelman. "(Attitudes) are definitely changing." Heartland releases mostly fall into four categories: Top-label contemporary artists such as Alabama, recording greatest hits albums; what Heartland calls "legendary artists" like Nat Cole; compilation albums; and artists with large followings but little airplay. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Beth Mann. (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