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 Wed, Apr 15 1992 Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 05:42:41 EDT Message-ID: 04-15 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update April 15, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network IMAGE OF MEN IS SHIFTING: The '90s man continues to get it from all sides. He's under increased job pressure. He's often told he "just doesn't get it." He faces changing expectations from wife, friends, society. Likely he rejects the men's movement but he doesn't want to be the Marlboro Man. This dual personality is most pronounced in the ad industry, as current commercials show wildly varying male images. (For more, see special Men package below.) COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE OLDER: The face of the typical American college student is aging. Adults, many old enough to have children in college, are taking their place in record numbers alongside younger students. The Department of Education says in 1990, 43% of college students were over the age of 24, up from 37.5% a decade earlier. In five years, it predicts nearly half (46.4%) will be 24 and older. YOUNGER GROUP SHRINKS: Adults mean business on campus. They're re-tooling for mid-life career changes, beefing up credentials, battling layoffs, starting over, following a dream. They mean business for campuses. As the pool of 17- and 18-year-olds shrinks, colleges are more attuned than ever to the potential of the 80% of adults in the USA who don't hold a college degree. FEWER FILING LATE: More than 5 million federal income tax filers seek a 4-month extension. But the percentage of all returns filed after April 15 is scheduled to drop slightly this year, estimates the IRS. The prediction for this year is 4.4%, down from a 1991 estimate of 4.7% and a 1989 peak of 5.2%. REFUND NEARS $1,000: The average refund per tax return is inching upward. After going from $834 in 1982 to $922 in 1986, the average slipped slightly. But it was up to $964 in 1990 and an estimated $975 through April 3, 1991, according to the Internal Revenue Service. FEWER LEARN ABORTION PROCEDURE: Most gynecologists-in-training can get through residency without learning to perform the most common gynecological surgery, abortion, says a study out this week. Just 12% of 268 programs surveyed in fall 1991 require residents to learn first-trimester abortions, down from 23% in 1985. WEDDING BELLS RINGING ON TV: Starting with "Homefront" Wednesday night, 13 comedy and drama duos are parading to the altar. Producers say integrating a wedding into a script not only marries character to character but plot to plot, and season to season. And ever since Joanne Barron, "Search for Tomorrow," married Arthur Tate in TV's first wedding in 1955, a walk down the aisle has meant a ratings windfall. MOVIEGOERS LIKE ANIMATION: With "Rock a Doodle" and "Beauty and the Beast" playing in theaters and "FernGully, the Last Rainforest" and a re-release of "Pinocchio" coming soon, it's clear the public's appetite for animated films is large. Already, two Walt Disney films, "Fantasia" and "101 Dalmations" are among the best-selling home videos of all time, Nos. 1 and 4 respectively. "Bambi" is No. 5. CBS LOOKS TO BIBLE: CBS is putting a new spin on the reality TV show craze. It's offering a May 15 show called "Ancient Secrets of the Bible." It offers scientific evidence for Biblical miracles. "There's a huge appetite for this type of show," says CBS' Steve Warner. Also coming: "The Bible" miniseries for the 1993-94 season, a special on Noah's ark and a reality pilot, "Miracles and Other Wonders." SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MEN: WE'RE BECOMING `SEGMENTED': Apparently, pitchmen no longer can lean Mr. Macho against a car and watch it fly out of the showroom. "The world isn't just sound bites anymore," says Robert Blattberg, marketing professor at Northwestern University. "The world is becoming more segmented, with more subgroups. ... There are men who still want to be the Marlboro Man, and there are men who want to be more sensitive." MEN STILL LIKE TO LOOK: A survey of men's habits, commissioned by "Playboy," points out the dichotomy between rugged and sensitive clearly. It showed that more and more men are concerned with the home, child-rearing and food. The survey showed 71% of men wanted to be viewed as sensitive, while only 15% wanted to be seen as rugged. But it also showed 95% of men still like looking at attractive women. CAUTION IS THE KEY WORD: So while ad agencies are trying to decide if products should be sold by a Mr. Macho or a Mr. Softie, man is slowly and cautiously deciding which way to head. "Men are trying to be more sensitive and caring without completely giving up the `Man Thing,' " Roper Organization officials report. "The '90s man should be cautious," says New York City Councilman Anthony Weiner. (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