Americans grow crazy
The stereotype has the woman working the garden while the man of the house relaxes in a hammock - and the facts concur, with regard to tending flowers anyway. In a survey for the new Simmons Study of Media and Markets, issued by Simmons Market Research Bureau Inc., New York, 33 percent of the female respondents said they till the bed for the blooms, as opposed to 21 percent of the men. The survey further profiled America's hobby gardeners: People between the ages of 54 and 65 are 30 percent more likely to have flower gardens than the average population, and the Midwest is the hotbed of floriculture - 22 percent more folks there have flower gardens.
You can find rakes in the homes of 33 percent of those surveyed, and while you're at it you might look for garden shears (25 percent), hoes (24 percent) and wheel barrows (18 percent). And in a blow for equality, men are just as likely as women to dig vegetable gardening. And middle-aged, married Midwesterners are the most fervid growers of vegetables.
Garden in a box proves popular
An Ohio State University researcher thinks so-called convenience or planned gardens have the potential to bring out the green thumb in just about anyone. Pre-packaged collections of bedding plants that come complete with design diagrams and instructions make it easy for even the horticulturally challenged to grow something green and beautiful. Jeanne Youger-Comaty of OSU's Consumer Horticultural Center says that one area seed company is offering 26 different prepackaged convenience gardens this year.
While Youger-Comaty praises the prefab gardens for their time-saving and confidence-boosting qualities, she offers her blessing with some caveats. You must, for example, check out the plan before buying to make sure it's suitable for your gardening space - even the easiest-to-grow plants need the right conditions.
She also warns against choosing a package that's too big, and says that the convenience garden should be a starting point, not an end. Once you get some dirt under your nails, take the opportunity to improvise and let your garden grow.
Soccer - America's sport of the future
After watching Brazilian defender Leonardo's flying elbow crack American Tab Ramos' skull in a World Cup match this summer, U.S. parents may be a tad less convinced that they can sign up their kids for futbol without worry. The reality, though, is that the sport doesn't get too terribly wild until you start playing for the honor of your country. Up to that point, soccer's relative purity makes it ideal for and immensely appealing to kids, and numbers published by the Soccer Industry Council of America, North Palm Beach, Fla., attest to its growing popularity in America. In 1993, 16.4 million people played soccer at least once - a 7.9 percent increase over the previous year's total. Among kids under 12, only basketball attracts more players, and soccer is the fourth most popular participation sport among under-18s. Most players are male, but the gap is narrowing: In 1992, 38 percent of all players were females, but last year 41 percent of all players were female. The number of fre¬quent players (more than 24 days per year) increased, too - from 40 percent of all players in '92 to 44 percent in '93. The SIC A reports that there are 3.3 million soccer aficionados - for whom soccer is their favorite activity -in the United States.
The SICA's figures are derived from the National Soccer Participation Survey, a syndicated tracking study conducted by American Sports Data Inc., Hartsdale, N.Y.
Sports medicine sales bulk up
Sales of sports clothing are down. The decline could be chalked up to Ameri-cans reestablishing their love affair with laziness, but a recent study by New York-based Packaged Facts seems to indicate that sales likely have fallen off because folks are laid up at home with a pulled groin or some other nasty sports-related injury. People are either playing more or playing harder - whatever the case, they're getting bumped and bruised doing it.
According to the study, retail sales of over-the-counter sports medicine products grew 10 percent in 1993 to $551 million. There are three product categories in the market: topical analgesics (43 percent of retail sales for a total of $235 million in '93); athlete's foot/jock itch remedies (38 percent, $210 million); and elastic wraps and braces (19 percent, $106 million). The total market is expected to be worth $603 million in 1994, a 9 percent gain. After that, 10 percent annual growth is projected through 1998, when sales will reach $879 million - because a lot of people will be hurting.
Ad agencies'1992 numbers show strong gains
Final tabulations show that in 1992, after three years of declines, the nation's publicly traded advertising agencies in¬creased operating income by 12.6 percent to $672.5 million and saw operating cash flow grow 9.1 percent to $904 million. Findings from the 11th annual Communications Industry Report, published by the New York investment banking firm of Veronis, Suhler & Associates Inc., offer further proof of a vigorous climate for large ad agencies. The report reveals operating income margins at 8.7 percent, up five-tenths of a point from 1991 and operating cash flow margins of 11.6 percent, up three-tenths of a point; operating income returns on assets at 6.6 percent, up five-tenths of a point; and cash flow returns on assets of 8.8 percent, up four-tenths of a point. Revenues for the group were up 6.4 percent to $7.8 billion. The year's positive results excluded the huge restructuring charges and writedowns recorded by Saatchi & Saatchi.
The robust 1992 advertising revenues and operating income trends, which continued into 1993, reflect increased acquisition activity in the United States and abroad, modest improvement in the domestic economy, and advertising activity surrounding a number of high-profile special events, such as the Olympics, that attracted substantial advertising dollars.
Omnicom was 1992's most active acquiring company. It spent a total of $80.9 million for TB WA International (a stock swap),Canada's McKim Advertising and the portions of Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein and Baker Lovick BBDO that Omnicom did not already hold.
Publicly traded companies earned 55 percent of all U.S. agencies' worldwide revenues in 1992. Since 1988, revenues of publicly owned agencies have risen overall by 5.2 percent, compounded annually - well above the 1.8 percent growth rate of total U.S. measured media advertising.
Popularity of malls droops
Malls, once firmly established as the epicenters of American pop culture, have lost some of their appeal, according to the results of a study done by Maritz Marketing Research Inc., St. Louis. Of those surveyed, 32 percent said they are using malls less frequently than they were a year ago. The new study confirms a 1990 Maritz survey that also showed malls' popularity waning. Store owners may be particularly distressed to learn that women are leading the charge away from malls. Over a third of the women surveyed (36 percent, compared to 28 percent of the men) said they are shopping at malls less often. Only 14.2 percent of those surveyed said they are hitting the mall more frequently.
Money and time factor heavily in the mall equation. Nearly a fourth of those surveyed (24 percent) don't use malls as much because the stores are too expensive (11 percent said they think mall shops are more expensive than discount stores). Another 16 percent are too busy or don't have the time to shop at malls; 8 percent said traffic and parking are problems. A number of people think malls are too crowded (26 percent). Surprisingly, 18- to 34-year-olds are most likely to cite crowds as the biggest drawback (36 percent, compared to 21 percent for all other age groups).
Still, those surveyed stop at the mall 2.6 times per month on average. Those 18 to 24 years old shop most frequently - an average of 3.8 times a month. The survey indicates that 83 percent of Americans visit the mall at least once a month. Not surprisingly, what many people (42 percent) like about malls is the large selection of stores. One-stop shopping at-tracts some (25 percent), while convenience lures another group (11 percent). The survey revealed that the average shopping trip to a mall lasts 2.1 hours, and, in support of an unfortunate stereotype, women tend to spend more time (2.5 hours) on each trip to the mall than men (1.8 hours). The Maritz AmeriPoll is a national consumer opinion poll conducted regularly. For the poll, 1,000 adults - women and men in equal measure - are surveyed by telephone.
California's retail market proves a jumble
After analyzing 11,475 general merchandise stores' actual retail sales from 1990 to 1993, the California Retail Survey, Carmichael, Calif., has discovered that it's difficult to generalize about the state's retail market. While California's general economy has been sluggish - 83 of the 220 local markets experienced declining sales during the period - stores in 51 communities saw sales grow by more than 10 percent per year. Twenty of the 51 had average growth of more than 30 percent. The C.R.S., an annual publication that tracks and analyzes short- and long-term retail trends, discovered average sales growth of 3.4 percent over the last three years. According to the survey, general merchandise stores control some 18.1 percent of the retail market in California.
Convenience stores change or die
Could it be that Ho-Ho's have lost some of their appeal? The convenience store industry, which enjoyed explosive growth from 1952to 1990, has taken a hit lately, according to a study published by FIND/SVP, New York. The number of stores climbed from 44,100 in 1980 to 71,200 in 1990, but since then, 3,300 stores have closed. While it's tempting to proffer the notion that health consciousness has turned folks away from the local Kwik-E-Mart, economics drove the fall: Customers perceive that convenience store items are not competitively priced. Yet irony reigns supreme at the checkout counter, as people with relatively low household incomes are more likely to shop at convenience stores than those with incomes in excess of $50,000. Convenience store shoppers are also tend to live in households with three or more members but no female parent figure. Customers also tend to be African-Americans who did not graduate from high school and work in a blue-collar position.
The findings are collected in The Market for Convenience Foods in Convenience Stores, written by Catherine Roberts and published by FIND/SVP. The publication estimates that the market for convenience-store food added up to $2.21 billion in 1993. The sales breakdown included deli products (excluding sandwiches), 26.3 percent; fresh sandwiches, .5 percent; foods cooked on site, 17.2 percent; other fast foods, 17 percent; and frozen sandwiches, 15.9 percent. Roberts believes that in the coming years, successful convenience stores (and g-stores, which are operated by petroleum marketers) will sell more fresh sandwiches, foods cooked on site and other fast foods, though frozen sandwiches are likely to continue to be offered in more stores than any other single item. She also predicts that stores will continue to downsize and look to partnerships with fast-food chains for opportunities to create programs specifically tailored to con-venience stores' customers.
Technophobia runs rampant
For most Americans, the cutting edge is out of sight. Interactive media has industry insiders all atwitter, but more than anything else, the average joe is still in the dark. (Ed. note: I resent that remark.) "Tele-Nation," the national telephone research newsletter published by Market Facts, Arlington Heights, Ill., re-ports that in a survey it conducted for Advertising Age magazine, only 19 percent of those contacted claimed to be aware of the concept of interactive media. Only 7 percent of respondents said they were very interested in getting interactive media on their home TV; 26 percent were somewhat interested; 66 percent couldn't give a hoot. The upside for media marketers is that younger andmore affluent people responded somewhat more enthusiastically (47 percent said they were somewhat interested and 9 percent were very interested), and 40 percent of all respondents said they would be willing to pay for the new media. Those who are interested in interactive media say they are most interested in movies on-demand and TV programs (55 percent), educational children's shows (48 percent), travel reservations/information (40 percent), TV game shows (33 percent), sporting events (31 percent), electronic mail (27 percent), video games (26 percent), music-channel shopping services (25 percent), online services such as Prodigy (25 percent) and home shopping (22 percent).
Yet the problem remains: People generally don't buy stuff they don't understand - it would seem those would like to sell interactive media have some explaining to do first.
Celebs sway fashion choices
Maybe posing gravid and naked on the cover of Vanity Fair wasn't such a bad idea after all - the young women of America seem to think Demi Moore is extremely hip. According to a recently completed Us magazine survey, women 18 to 34 most want to look like actress Demi Moore. Moore, at 21.1 percent, was significantly more frequently picked than Cindy Crawford, the No. 2 choice at 15.6percent. The list was, ahem, rounded out by singer Janet Jackson (15 percent), actresses Julia Roberts (14.2 percent) and Sharon Stone (14 percent), andubermodel Paulina (9.7 percent). Those surveyed also most frequently picked Moore (19.7 percent) as the primary influence on their fashion choices for evenings out. Tellingly though, 25 percent of the women surveyed said they would like their husband or boyfriend to tell them they look like Crawford, promoting the idea that women admire well-rounded celebs while believing that the men in their lives want a woman who's curvaceous more than anything else. What's more, respondents believe that Crawford (19.3 percent) has the most exciting lifestyle. Moore pulled up second at 18.3 percent.
Entertainers in general get more of young American women's respect than models do. Product endorsements from entertainers (52.5 percent) are more likely to be believed than those from models (47.5 percent). Respondents more often eyed entertainers' fashions (57.4 percent), and more of them took tips from actress, singers and the like (60.2 percent). On the other hand, 24.5 percent of the respondents in the survey said they took makeup tips from Cindy C., as opposed to 17.6 percent from Moore. Maybe they just want that mole.
Women go for green things
Women want manufacturers to get hip to environmental consciousness. A vast majority of women surveyed by EDK Associates, New York, say they want the federal government to force companies to stop polluting the environment. While a similarly large majority (94 percent) believe they can help the cause by recycling, women increasingly are interested in influencing the environment with their pocketbooks. Of those surveyed, 66 percent said they're thinking green when they go shopping. Women of all age groups, incomes and occupational status bring an environmental agenda along with them when they hit the stores, but 45- to 54-year-olds (73 percent), those with a household income of $45,000 to $54,999 (75 percent) and homemakers (75 percent) most often said they made purchases with the health of Earth in mind. Those 65 and older (59 percent), women with a household income of less than $25,000 (65 percent) and full-time workers (62 percent) represented the not-too-distant other end of the scale.
While 38 percent of those surveyed said their biggest fear was that pollution would affect their health, a far larger portion (58 percent) worry about the next generation. Three-quarters of the 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed are most worried about the environmental legacy future generations will have to grapple with. More than a third (37 percent) cited the limits pollution puts on their outdoor activities as their top concern.
More often than not, women look at labels to find' 'environmentally safe" products: 63 percent get their information right from the can, while a much smaller group (12 percent) relies on the media for warnings. This presents manufacturers with a significant opportunity to do their bit by educating their customers. Despite their desire to buy right, almost half of EDK's green shoppers (48 percent) don't know why certain brands of toilet paper, jeans, detergent and appliances are safer for the environmentthan others. (Toilet paper made from recycled materials, jeans made with natural dyes and organically grown fibers, phosphate-free detergents and energy-efficient appliances get the green stamp.) EDK's research leads the company to believe that green shopping isn't just a trendy thing to do that will fade in popularity. The company expects environmental concerns to influence purchasing decisions even more significantly in the future.
EDK surveyed 500 women nationwide January 24-26 and reported its findings EDK Forecast, the company's newsletter.