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Both container-shipping traffic and demand for services to accommodate it are on the rise despite some losses dut to the lagging economy. Top-volume U.S. container ports are gearing up to [...]

Most carriers and freight forwarders agree: the U.S.-Japan trade route is critical to the development and success of their business. 'This is one trade route that can't be ignored,' said [...]

It's Hot, Vital and Fast With high technology increasingly impacting global trade logistics, and economics forcing carriers and shippers to become more competitive and cost and time efficient, more and [...]

Teradata Corp and the Lexus Divison of Toyota Motors Sales USA are two companies that have joined the growing band of marketers that have taken to using video technology as a direct marketing tool. Despite the higher costs associated with video-based campaigns, video technology seems set to become an increasingly popular alternative to print-based campaigns. Video-based direct marketing campaigns are particularly effective for high-ticket items.

The National Hockey League (NHL) has launched an ambitious initiative aimed at raising the profile of hockey and expand its fan base. To transcend its image as 'the fourth major league sport,' the NHL allowed the suspension of the games in February to allow players to participate in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the first time that professional hockey players can take part in the competition. The league will lose a huge amount of dollar revenues as a result of the decision but hopes to benefit in the long-term since it has the potential to boost the appeal and marketability of hockey. In addition to this move, the NHL Enterprises LLP, which is the marketing and licensing body of the league, has launched Break Out, an office series that includes such activities as slapshot contests and virtual reality hockey games. A Winter Break program is also being planned, which will include clinics and gatherings in major North American cities.

The Paralympics Games continues to find difficulty attracting corporate sponsors. One of the main problems is that people confuse the Paralympics, an Olympic-style competition which features only top-notch athletes having visual and physical impairments, with the Special Olympics, which is open to athletes with different ability levels and mentally disabled individuals. Another problem is the fear of companies of being perceived as exploiting the disabilities of the athletes despite their good intentions. Further compounding the problem is that disabled athletes are not popular, which is a main requirement for sportsmen and women who want to land endorsement deals. Despite these obstacles, however, certain progresses have been made. For instance, Paralympians Jean Driscoll and Paul Martin both have endorsement deals.

Women are the largest market segment for activewear, yet few stores are geared toward selling activewear to women. Many stores do not have the proper changing facilities or a good selection of women's activewear. Two women who were frustrated by their shopping experiences set up their own stores. Lisa Voorhees founded The Sporting Woman in Denver, CO, and Paula Shirk started Women's Workout Gear in New York, NY. The two women are attempting to teach vendors what women look for in activewear., NEW YORK -- When it comes to activewear, women outspend men by almost 50 percent. Yet ask the average female consumer what she goes through to find the right leotard, [...]

The competition between credit card industry giants Visa and American Express is intensifying. American Express has long been the industry leader, but this position is seriously being threatened by two major problems. One is the high transaction fees it charges merchant establishments, while the other is the inconvenience for customers of paying the full balance all at once. Visa gained the upper hand when it signed a deal to sponsor the 1988 Olympics. American Express fought back with an aggressive, sometimes negative, advertising campaign. However, it soon changed its tactic, launching a socially responsible marketing program that promptly won admirers. The rivalry between the two companies heated up once again when Visa again signed on to sponsor the 1994 Winter Olympics and the 1996 Summer games. The company plans to start 1994 with a marketing campaign targeting a select group of retail and direct mail merchants.

US export firms which intend to cultivate markets in eastern Europe are advised to develop a long-range plan for the region. The marketing environment for each country can be studied through joint ventures with local firms. Market entry can also be facilitated through government assistance programs. Firms are advised to study the cultural and economic conditions of their target markets. Other factors to be considered include commercial and legal systems, competition, political conditions and rules on foreign exchange., CHICAGO--Eastern Europe can be a burgeoning market for American exporters--if they know how to approach it. That's what trade executives told a group of print industry merchants and manufacturers at [...]

Hong Kong-based entrepreneur David Tang has opened a 12,000 sq-ft Shanghai Tang branch in New York, NY. The flagship of the 'Made by Chinese' high-quality clothing and goods department store is in Hong Kong. The New York branch's vision is to become the first global Chinese brand through superior customer service and one-of-a-kind products patterned after traditional Chinese merchandise. Such merchandise include Mandarin-collar velvet jackets whose designs have been suited to modern trends, silver-plated chopsticks and Chairman Mao watches. The store has already exceeded sales projections in the first three months of operation and its owner hopes to open more branches in other cosmopolitan markets. Its most significant challenge is to overcome a perception of Chinese products as very cheap, inferior, poorly produced and unfashionable.

Marketing research firms that rely on census information are concerned about the developments in the US Bureau of Census. They believe that its director Martha Farnsworth Riche was fired because she supports the use of statistical sampling to estimate people not included in conventional head count for the 2000 Census, a move opposed by Republicans. This practice could increase the number of minorities and residents of low-income neighborhoods represented in the official count by the millions, which could damage the Republican Party because these groups tend to support Democrats. Marketing research firms, particularly those that focus on marketing to ethnic groups, fear that minority populations will be misrepresented and that unique features of minority lifestyles may be overlooked.

The wireless telephone market in Chicago, IL, has become more competitive with the entry of two new companies since 1996. Nevertheless, the presence of PrimeCo Personal Communications and AT&T has not adversely affected the business of the original wireless providers in the city, particularly Cellular One, Nextel Communications and Ameritech. Although the newcomers were able to attract customers from their rivals, the pioneers were also able to lure new customers to its fold. This robust performance is due to the strength of the city's market, which is the result of the relatively low rates in Chicago and the even landscape of the city. In response to these conditions, the marketing efforts of the wireless providers have emphasized their technological edge over competitors, including digital service and long-distance personal communications service links. They also rely on unique advertising and an array of price and service deal offerings.

The US Postal Service (USPS) hopes to increase the volume of direct marketing mail through a direct marketing campaign. Launched in early 1997, the Direct Mail Delivers campaign commended with print advertisements in major newspapers and magazines that featured business reply cards and an 800-number that offers the free kit of the USPS. This was followed by a two-stage direct mail campaign targeted at advertising and marketing executives. The direct mail campaign used a binder accompanied by inserts on the basics of and case studies on direct mailing. Three subsequent mailings of similar information were later sent. USPS helps interested parties by offering names of list brokers, printers and tips on how to qualify for desirable postal rates.

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, has triggered a flurry of offers to donate to her favorite charities. Single Elton John, for instance, has already donated $33 million to the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Foundation from the proceeds of the recording 'Candle in Wind 1997.' Several American companies selling Diana memorabilia have also pledged to make donations to her memorial fund or to the charities she was involved in. These include Franklin Mint, which sells porcelain Diana dolls; Borders Group Inc, which publishes books about the princess' life; The Bradford Group, which markets commemorative Diana plates and dolls; Ty Inc, which has launched a princess bear in her honor; and the Society for the Preservation of History, which sells 'Queen of Hearts' dolls.

Dairy products companies are targeting child consumers. Bel/Kaukana USA is promoting its Laughing Cow Cheezbits product to children through improved packaging. The new package is filled with cartoon graphics and other colorful fun images, and features fun facts, trivia questions and mail-in product offers. An in-pack contest is also printed on the label. On the other hand, Kraft Foods Inc and Sargento Foods Inc have partnered with the children's cable channel Nickelodeon. To widen its dairy products' appeal to kids, Kraft sponsored Nick in the Afternoon programming in 1996, and has entered into a merchandising deal involving Nick-based products and contests. Meanwhile, Sargento advertises its MooTown Snackers cheese sticks in Nickelodeon magazine. Also, the home page of MooTown is connected to the Nick Web site. Just like Bel/Kaukana, the company also revamped its packaging, particularly the MooTown cow logo.

IT'S AN OFTEN-REPEATED STATISTIC: one American woman in nine will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. While retail giants Sears and J.C. Penney have begun selling prostheses and [...]