Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
What's got Lowenstein so excited--and should catch the earof any CD-loving BIZ Experiences--is that while most of his earlybusiness has involved creating custom orders for corporations, theformer MTV Networks and Time Warner marketer believes the consumermarket 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 arehuffing and puffing away around the nation in an effort to stayfit. Unfortunately, all those good intentions can be undone byindulging in one decadent meal at your favorite restaurant. Andwith Americans eating out an average of four to five times a week,calories can add up quicker than you can say "hold themayo."
Restaurants are wising up to consumers' desire for tasty butlight fare by creating "heart healthy" meals and notingcaloric and fat content on light menu items. Some establishmentstake it a step further by creating entire menus of healthymeals.
In another twist on the trend, San Diego, California-basedpublisher and nutritional services company Accents On Health Inc.publishes a trio of healthy-dining guides to restaurants in LosAngeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The company's ownersanalyze a restaurant's menu to determine caloric, fat,cholesterol and sodium content of various recipes--then include thehealthiest dishes in their guides. Bon appétit!
What's Hot
Multifloral Scents
Now that vanilla has lost some of its cachet in the olfactoryworld, multifloral scents are being hailed as the dominant aromafor the coming year. "We're moving back toward morefeminine and romantic scents," says Annette Green, presidentof The Fragrance Foundation and Olfactory Research Fund in New YorkCity. "People don't want to smell like a rose orgardenia--they want to have the smell [of many types of flowerscombined]." Isn't it romantic?
Bright Colors
Subtlety is fading--but not to black. Instead, as trend-savvyentrepreneurs are discovering, vibrant colors are all the rage.Think lime green. Think electric blue. Think striking orange. Ofparticular interest, it seems, is combining brilliant colors intorainbow patterns. Even stalwart items like office supplies arebeing brightened with a veritable tidal wave of color. It'snearly enough to trigger a mass outbreak of . . .color-blindness.
Contact Sources
A. Magazine, 270 Lafayette St., #400, New York, NY10012, (212) 925-2123
Accents on Health Inc., 8305 Vickers St., #106, SanDiego, CA 92111, (619) 541-2049
Beverage World Magazine, 226 W. 26th St., NewYork, 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, OR97209, (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., NewYork, NY 10016
Sterling Group, 800 Third Ave., 27th Fl., New York, NY10022, mike.b@sterlingconsultants.com
The Ultimate Science Fiction Cafe & Explorium, 1402E. Las Olas Blvd., #1038, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301,scificafe@aol.com
Yolk E-Zine, 407 S. Gramercy Pl., #202, LosAngeles, CA 90020, http://www.yolk.com
Zero to Three, 734 15th St. N.W., #1000, Washington, DC20005-1013, http://www.zerotothree.org
