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 Tue, Apr 14 1992 Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 05:42:44 EDT Message-ID: 04-14 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update April 14, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network GOLF IS HOT IN FURNITURE DESIGN: Golf is hot at the Spring Furniture Market in High Point, N.C., which runs through Friday. It's not that the attendees are hitting the links before checking out furniture, it's the furniture that is displaying golfing scenes. Golf themes are showing up on everything from furniture to lamps to wall hangings this week at the furniture show. (For more, see special Golf package below.) WOMEN DON'T WANT TO KNOW: A survey by Strategic Research of 600 women ages 18-65 for Advance Pregnancy Test found that the majority of women do not want to know their baby's gender before birth. The survey found that 75% did not want to know the gender, vs. 25% who did want to know if it would be a boy or a girl. MANY USE `DEATHGRIP': The Academy of General Dentistry estimates that 20% of Americans hold tooth brushes in a "deathgrip," which can contribute to damaged enamal, gums and roots. Among suggestions: Loosen up and use a brush with softer bristles. Dr. Terry Dickinson says, people think "if a little bit is good, let's do it a lot." He sees some cases in which "people almost cut their teeth in half. LUMP SUM PLAN IS POPULAR: The Pentagon is looking for a few good service people to turn in their uniforms early. As part of defense cutbacks, the Pentagon is offering early discharge plans. The most popular plan is a lump sum of cash. It's preferred 4-1 in the Army and Navy and 6-1 in the Air Force and Marines over the alternative - an annual payment that yields a larger sum but is paid out in smaller amounts. WENNER BETTING ON MEN'S JOURNAL: Jann Wenner, editor and chairman of Straight Arrow Publishers - owner of Rolling Stone and US, is hoping to buck the trend of men's magazines finding little success. He will try to tap the market of men who are interested in the outdoors and participatory sports but don't have the time or desire to read special-interest magazines with Men's Journal, which hits newsstands Tuesday. MEN'S MAGAZINES FOLD: New magazines aimed at men haven't fared that well. Men's Life folded after one issue in 1990; Smart folded that year; M merged with Manhattan inc.; and others never made it past the drawing board. "They failed because they were poor editorial products," says Men's Journal Publisher Mark MacDonald. "I don't think (their demise) was a reflection on the men's market," says MacDonald. HARASSMENT PRESENT IN NEWSROOMS: A survey by the Associated Press Managing Editors of men and women employed at 19 newspapers found that sexual harassment affects 37.6 % of the women in the USA's newsrooms. Among findings: 95% of the victims of harassment were women; of those harassed, almost half said the harassment was in the form of annoying or degrading comments about sex and that the harasser was a co-worker. NAVY INCREASES WARNINGS: The Navy, which has warned sailers for years about dangerous foreign ports, is compiling lists of dangerous areas in U.S. ports, and sailors are being shown videotaped recreations of real murders, muggings and rapes. The cities aren't identified. The Navy said that of its 590,000 people on active duty in 1991, 104 were slain, 531 were raped, 882 were assaulted and 246 were robbed. SAMLL BUSINESSES OPTIMISTIC: Business is up at two companies that specialize in processing payrolls - Automatic Data Processing and Paychex - meaning that small businesses are betting on an economic recovery. Analysts say many companies that chose to do their on payroll to cut costs during the recession are coming back and new companies are utilizing their services. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON GOLF: GOLF THEMES ARE EVERYWHERE: It's hard to get away from golf themes this week at the Spring Furniture Market in High Point, N.C. Examples: Simply Southern unveiled its Lexington armoire:entertainment center, called "Golf Legends," with four painted panels - suggested retail is $2,400; Photographs of antique golf clubs and equipment have replaced the traditional hunt scene in popularity at Clayton Hayes Designs. GUILDMASTER GOES WITH GOLF: GuildMaster had such success with its chair incorporating golf club designs at the fall market, it introduced two more - a bar stool and counter stool - this month. Each comes with club-head feet, club-grip arms and golf ball finials. Suggested retail: $650 each. Also new: Golf-inspired umbrella stand, $260. GOLF RISES TO NO. 1: Furniture execs at the Spring Furniture Market say golf is selling big. "Golf has become our No. 1-selling subject of all our lines in the last six months," says Clayton Hayes, company president and a professional photographer who shoots the groupings. Says Kay Martin of Simply Southern: "People just kept asking for golf scenes." (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Jason Smith. (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. 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