Heads Up Part II
What's got Lowenstein so excited--and should catch the ear of any CD-loving entrepreneur--is that while most of his early business has involved creating custom orders for corporations, the former MTV Networks and Time Warner marketer believes the consumer market is still wide open. He's shaping his own line of CDs, puzzles, greeting cards and tickets for special events. And yes, the CDs still sound good.
Fare Thee Well
Whether at gyms, at home or in the great outdoors, people are huffing and puffing away around the nation in an effort to stay fit. Unfortunately, all those good intentions can be undone by indulging in one decadent meal at your favorite restaurant. And with Americans eating out an average of four to five times a week, calories can add up quicker than you can say "hold the mayo."
Restaurants are wising up to consumers' desire for tasty but light fare by creating "heart healthy" meals and noting caloric and fat content on light menu items. Some establishments take it a step further by creating entire menus of healthy meals.
In another twist on the trend, San Diego, California-based publisher and nutritional services company Accents On Health Inc. publishes a trio of healthy-dining guides to restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The company's owners analyze a restaurant's menu to determine caloric, fat, cholesterol and sodium content of various recipes--then include the healthiest dishes in their guides. Bon appétit!
What's Hot
Multifloral Scents
Now that vanilla has lost some of its cachet in the olfactory world, multifloral scents are being hailed as the dominant aroma for the coming year. "We're moving back toward more feminine and romantic scents," says Annette Green, president of The Fragrance Foundation and Olfactory Research Fund in New York City. "People don't want to smell like a rose or gardenia--they want to have the smell [of many types of flowers combined]." Isn't it romantic?
Bright Colors
Subtlety is fading--but not to black. Instead, as trend-savvy entrepreneurs are discovering, vibrant colors are all the rage. Think lime green. Think electric blue. Think striking orange. Of particular interest, it seems, is combining brilliant colors into rainbow patterns. Even stalwart items like office supplies are being brightened with a veritable tidal wave of color. It's nearly enough to trigger a mass outbreak of . . . color-blindness.
Contact Sources
A. Magazine, 270 Lafayette St., #400, New York, NY 10012, (212) 925-2123
Accents on Health Inc., 8305 Vickers St., #106, San Diego, CA 92111, (619) 541-2049
Beverage World Magazine, 226 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10001, (212) 822-5930
Bevmark LLC, 38 E. 37th St., #804, New York, NY 10016
Deep E Co., 322 N.W. Fifth Ave., #207, Portland, OR 97209, (503) 299-6647
Food Processing Magazine, writebob@foodtrends.com
The Fragrance Foundation and Olfactory Research Fund, http://www.fragrance.org
Harvey Entertainment Co., 1999 Ave. of the Stars, #2050, Century City, CA 90067, (310) 789-1990
Institute for Local Self Reliance, 1313 Fifth St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414, http://www.ilsr.org
North American Industrial Hemp Council, 4549 County Ave., Oregon, WI 53575
Perception Communication Corp., Crown Roller Mill Bldg., 105 Fifth Ave. S., #512, Minneapolis, MN 55401, (612) 338-0853
Shape CD Inc., 875 Ave. of the Americas, #1811, New York, NY 10001, (212) 279-2929
SRI Consulting, 113B Post Rd. E., Westport, CT 06880, wwacker827@aol.com
Starlog Magazine, 475 Park Ave. S., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10016
Sterling Group, 800 Third Ave., 27th Fl., New York, NY 10022, mike.b@sterlingconsultants.com
The Ultimate Science Fiction Cafe & Explorium, 1402 E. Las Olas Blvd., #1038, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301, scificafe@aol.com
Yolk E-Zine, 407 S. Gramercy Pl., #202, Los Angeles, CA 90020, http://www.yolk.com
Zero to Three, 734 15th St. N.W., #1000, Washington, DC 20005-1013, http://www.zerotothree.org