You don't have to be a purple dinosaur to realize that kidsare keen on entertainment programs. Anyone familiar with the lawsof the TV jungle, however, knows phenomena of Barneyesqueproportions are a rare breed.
But this isn't scaring off the powers behind "JellyBean Jungle" (JBJ). First telecast last September, theshow-which combines live-action performers with puppets andcostumed characters-is generating some big-time buzz. It'senough to make you wonder if Jessica the Giraffe, Gus the Gorilla,Al the Alligator and King Rufus the Lion will one day be asfamiliar to the tot brigade as, well, you-know-who.
"We certainly hope [the show] will be the nextBarney," enthuses Laura King, vice president of SunshineKidVid Entertainment, the Hollywood, Florida, company producing"JBJ." "We think it has the potential."
They're not alone. Airing on some 100 TV stationsnationwide, "JBJ" is also being syndicatedinternationally. And ERTL Toys has acquired a master license for"JBJ" toys. There's also talk of video and CD-ROMtie-ins.
Jungle fever . . . it seems to becatching.
Smart Cookies
They're the ultimate in dessert sidekicks. They're theperfect accompaniments to coffee, ice cream or cold milk. Andwhether they're sold bakery fresh or prepackaged, cookies arean ever-so-popular impulse purchase. In fact, the Retailer'sBakery Association (RBA) rates cookies the top spur-of-the-momentchoice for supermarket bakery customers.
OK, so you've probably never heard anyone lament theunpopularity of cookies. Thanks in no small part to thespecialty coffee industry, however, there seems to be risingacceptance of delicacies like biscotti, in addition to renewedinterest in old favorites such as chocolate chip and oatmealcookies.
"Cookies are a comfort food," says Meredith Rossin,26-year-old founder of Five Star Cookie Co. in Brookline,Massachusetts. The fledgling company, which specializes in makinglate-night cookie deliveries to college dormitories, has enjoyedenough success in its first two years to cultivate a nationwidefollowing through mail order.
According to RBA estimations, sales of low-fat or no-fat cookiesin supermarkets grew by more than $200 million last year. But inRossin's experience, you have to give people what they want-andthey don't necessarily want healthy cookies. "Ultimately,when you want comfort food, you don't want fake fat," shesays.
Whichever way they crumble, though, it's clear cookies arenear and dear to our hearts: Business Trend Analysts in Commack,New York, predicts U.S. cookie manufacturers will record salesclose to $6 billion by 2004. How sweet itis. . . .
Trend Tracking
Then you think about trends, you probably think about FaithPopcorn. As the chairperson of BrainReserve Inc., a New York Citymarketing consulting firm specializing in trends, Popcorn has madea name for herself forecasting the world of tomorrow. With twobooks to her credit-The Popcorn Report and Clicking(both HarperCollins)-Popcorn is a woman with her finger firmly onthe pulse of American culture. What's her secret for discerningthe hot properties of the future from the also-rans?
As it turns out, there's no easy answer to that question."It's not a science," says Popcorn of her life'swork. "It's truly an art."
That said, however, Popcorn did share with Entrepreneursome insights into trends in general and her trend-tracking processin particular. The following-the first in an occasional series oftrend expert profiles-are excerpts from our exclusive interviewwith Popcorn.
On business's recognition of the value of trendtracking: "I think a lot of the smarter[businesspeople] understand it. I got 40,000 responses from people[who read The Popcorn Report] and told me, 'I used thesetrends to completely change my business and my life.'"
On culture monitoring: "We're constantlylooking around and seeing not what is, but what it means."Popular movies and TV shows, bestselling books, consumer eating andshopping habits, and magazines are all fodder for BrainReserveforecasts.
On recommended reading lists: "We tell ourclients to read something they're not [already] reading. Youneed to enlarge your perspective. It's like wearing 3-Dglasses-as soon as you put those trend glasses on, you really knowhow to view something."
On the importance of fads: "Many times, fadspoint to trends. Why do people put streaks in their hair, piercethemselves and wear tattoos, for example? [It's what we term]the 'fantasy adventure trend'-people looking for a littlesafe adventure."
On turning a deaf ear to the skeptics: "Thehardest part of my business is to stay clear [of skeptics] and notchange my view because people may [disagree]."
On The Sports
We've been seeing lots of spots lately-on jackets, shirts,dresses, pants, vests, hats, suspenders,purses . . . you name it. Unless the fashionindustry has been overtaken by a pack of fanatical dog lovers, thisspot frenzy is almost certainly a reaction to the scheduledNovember release of Walt Disney Studios' live-action movie"101 Dalmatians."
Although details were sketchy at press time, we can tell you theupcoming feature stars Glenn Close as the diabolical Cruella DeVil.And no, we don't think we're barking up the wrong tree whenwe predict Disney's marketing might well hit the-you saw thisone coming, right?-spot.
In related news, a source at Disney confirms the company'splanned 1998 release of an animated version of "Tarzan."Loincloth, anyone?
Diving Force
Dive in, the water's fine! With the recent surge inadventure travel-not to mention a wave of diving-relatedprogramming on cable television-scuba diving is surfacing as thesport of choice among upscale consumers eager to get their fins-er,feet-wet.
"The trend of consumers wanting to go and lie on the beachall day is kind of passé in a lot of places," saysWilliam Cline, president of Cline Group Advertising, a scubaindustry consultancy in Richardson, Texas. "People want tohave something active to do."
Active . . . and aesthetic. Unlikeland-based sports, scuba offers participants entree into the exoticworld of sea life. Indeed, excursions allowing divers to get upclose and personal with dolphins and (in controlled settings)sharks are luring schools of scuba devotees.
And this $2.6 billion industry is more than a flash in the pan."[The scuba industry] growth rate runs between 5 percent and10 percent every year," says Cline.
At present, there are some 2,400 dive retailers servicing closeto 3 million divers nationwide. If that isn't enough to giveyou a rush, consider this: The average diving enthusiast spends anestimated $3,500 every year on dive-related travel expenses.What's more, nontravel expenditures enrich the industry bynearly $700 million annually.
What more proof do you need that this industry is goingswimmingly?
Big Appetite
Want more? Apparently, you're not alone. As if to disprovethe notion that less is more, consumers are increasinglygravitating toward bigger portions of foods and beverages. Considerit the upsizing of the nation.
"People think there's just more value with a largerserving size," says Anita Hersh, president of Lister ButlerInc., a New York City-based corporate and brand identityconsultancy firm. "This is America-and bigger isbetter!"
By way of example, Hersh points to hulking boxes of cereal,gigantic containers of coffee, 20-ounce-plus bottled iced teas andenormous movie-theater buckets filled with popcorn. And no, youreyes aren't deceiving you: Twenty percent of the restaurateursin a recent National Restaurant Association survey reported usinglarger plates these days.
We must warn you, however, not to get too big-headed. At thesame time that hefty food portions are hot, many restaurateurs arewinning over customers with appetizer-sized meals. Go figure.
Contact Sources
BrainReserve Inc., 1 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010,(212) 481-8580;
Business Trend Analysts, 2171 Jericho Tpke., Commack, NY11725-2900, (516) 462-5454;
Cline Group Advertising, 2530 Big Horn Dr., Richardson,TX 75080, (214) 644-5992;
Five Star Cookie Co., (617) 731-8844;
Lister Butler Inc., 475 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017,(212) 951-6100;
Retailer's Bakery Association, 14239 Park Center Dr.,Laurel, MD 20707, (301) 725-2149;
Sunshine KidVid Entertainment, 1915 Harrison St.,Hollywood, FL 33020, (954) 929-6902.
