The experts on what’s next

NEXTPERT REPORT

The leading newsletter on trends and what’s next

	IN THIS ISSUE: NEXTPERT TREND TRANSLATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS MTV NETWORKS - YOUNG PEOPLE, THE MEDIA, AND BREAKING THROUGH EURO RSCG TREND UPDATE - FAMILY PROSUMERS ON FAMILY AND TOGETHERNESS EURO RSCG MUSIC TRENDS WIRELESS TRENDS - WIRELESS INTERNET AND MOBILE COMPUTING MUSIC TRENDS EURO RSCG WINE TRENDS POST-WAR POLL RESEARCH ON BRAND LOYALTY HOT TRENDS IN SPORTS HOME TRENDS
	2003 TRENDS AS PREDICTED IN JANUARY 2003: SMART PRODUCTS SELF CENTERING SMART PEOPLE - SMART KIDS THE MOBILE LIFESTYLE THE LIBRA EFFECT - BALANCE PERSONALIZATION HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE SMALL BUSINESS BOOMERS LUXURY RE-DEFINED HOME IS MY HAVEN BUT IT IS ALSO BUTTERFLY TIME

Editor-in-chief, Katlean de Monchy ● Executive Producer, David Post

Ph: (212)-229-1234, Email: david@nextpert.com

2003 TRENDS AS PREDICTED IN JANUARY 2003:
1- SMART PRODUCTS
2- SELF CENTERING
3- SMART PEOPLE – SMART KIDS
4- THE MOBILE LIFESTYLE
5- THE LIBRA EFFECT – BALANCE
6- PERSONALIZATION
7- HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
8- SMALL BUSINESS BOOMERS
9- LUXURY RE-DEFINED
10- HOME IS MY HAVEN BUT IT IS ALSO BUTTERFLY TIME

UPDATE ON TREND PREDICTIONS

From David Post – Executive Editor

HEALTHY LIVING - healthy comfort foods

There is a dichotomy – more people are more focused on being healthy – eating healthy – getting exercise – using early detection procedures – taking nutritionals/supplements – yet comfort foods, snacking, and stress related eating has our overweight population tipping the scales. Thus a major market opportunity exists for healthy foods that are also comfort foods. Sounds like an oxymoron? Don’t believe it!

THE MOBILE LIFESTYLE - GOING WIRELESS – wireless laptop lifestyle
– always ON device -

We believe that there will be a major wireless revolution and that it will indeed change the way we do things. Tens of millions of people will carry around a slim, sleek, lightweight laptop smaller and light like a notebook requiring no wires to connect to the Internet or for power. A charge will be good for 8 hours. Yes there are obstacles: wifi or the hot spot market (where you can connect to the Internet wirelessly) is growing very rapidly but it is far from ubiquitous. And there needs to be a credit card company offering universal wifi service wherever there is a hot spot. It has to connect automatically and effortlessly. The home wifi network has to be very simple to install– easier than programming the VCR. These obstacles resolved the laptop becomes the “always on” must have.

The implications and predictions:

There will be internet channels – TV type channels (you can watch TV on your laptop or see movies)

There will be email channels that will sort your mail and allow you to review what is most important first

The Internet will get a big boost in usage although the concept of surfing should be a turnoff for those who believe in time management. Better searches that are more exact and glean what you mean – we hear that this technology is out there.

We will be able to talk over our laptops — and we believe that web meetings with better platforms and video will be the way many people opt to do business (beats the long lines at the airport).

LESS WIRE? – the Wall Street Journal says that Americans own 934,000,000 electronic gadgets and each one has a cord. So if you want to see one marketing opportunity of the wireless revolution – here’s one – why do all these gadgets need wires? Then of course there’s the battery industry – in need of a charge – people will not accept products where batteries are not long, long lasting and you need to know how much juice you have left at all times.

SMART PRODUCTS – next generation smart products

About a year ago, we noticed a term just beginning to surface: “smart products”, and Nextpert wrote about it and did two national television segments on the subject. We now believe that the term will pervade the marketing/media world. After all who doesn’t want to be called smart?

So what is a smart product?

- a product that does more than one thing at a time

- a product that seems like it thinks or thinks for you

- a product that adjusts itself to each user

- a product that helps you use it rather than making you go through the pain of set up

- a product that seems intuitive

We think companies will focus on SMART as an advertising, marketing and selling tool, unless someone pre-empts and locks up the category.

HOME IS MY HAVEN – rooms defined – home office for boomers

The traditions of how homes are laid out, which have their roots in the 1950s are as gone as the poof dress. With more time and more money being put into the home, trends are toward the less conventional. How rooms are used is now in tune to the family’s style. For example: many formal dining rooms are now the family fitness center – the laundry room a home-office – appliances are finding their way beyond the kitchen and laundry room into other rooms to coincide with the flow of the day – family members are creating their own personal space – home theater with a large flat screen digital television is not just cool looking as wall art but a place where the family can watch together – provided they can decide on a TV show or movie.

Speaking of home office – it is not just mom or dad who have decided to work at home to be with their young children – we predict there’s a small business boom for boomers coming. Boomers laid off and with much less in their 401ks as they had hoped, will set up businesses at home. But this turning-gray lot will create new ways to manage and build a home business, using tools they learned in their Corporate America careers. They will also be a pool for the outsourcing needs of major corps maybe even serving their former employers.

INFORMATION REVOLUTION PART IV - instant personalized information

Snail mail is almost nostalgic. Email – Fedex – web meetings are more the expected way to communicate. CNN.com Breaking News is a must have for those who want to be in the know – now. Technologies are here and others coming which will create one-to-many, many-to-one instant communications and technologies like SPOT and Centrino will grease the skids. Information of value to an individual will be available and customized to that person – timeliness can be as important as the news itself. Personalized news (and we’re not talking sports scores but about your industry, your company, your areas of specific interest) with instant delivery will be commonplace within a few years.

From Betsy Frank, Executive Vice President for Research and Planning at MTV NETWORKS

Ten Things You Should Know About Young People,
The Media, and Breaking Through

#1: Young people are very complicated.

· Technology is a fact of life

· Limitless variety and choice

#2: Young people are living in an “Age of Unlimited Access.”

· Only the full story will do

· Celebrity is accessible, but disposable

#3: Leisure time still dominates waking hours, media dominates leisure, and TV dominates media.

· About 6.5 hours of “leisure” a day

· About 4 hours with the media

· Over 2 hours watching television

#4: Simultaneous usage continues to grow.

· No one-for-one trade-offs

· 60% of computer time also spent with TV or music

#5: If tradeoffs in usage between TV and the web are taking place, they are more likely driven by information than by entertainment.

· Big online growth for movie info, theatres, show times

· News, weather, sports

#6: Young people have a unique way of processing information: Customize, customize, customize.

· Selective, discriminating, impatient

· “What I want when I want it”

#7: Young people have a need for connection and validation.

· Media help them connect with each other and brands that “get” them

· Showcase and respect them; give them a voice

#8: Music is the key form of expression for young people.

· Music and youth are linked

· Music can help break through

#9: In a complex world of mobile consumers, you need to be where they are.

· Be where they are

· Don’t expect them to come to you

#10: If you don’t communicate with relevance, they can and will turn you out.

· They can tell when they’re being BS’d

· They know they have the power and influence, so respect their intelligence

From Marian Salzman, Chief Strategic Officer, Euro RSCG Worldwide

Euro RSCG Prosumer Research – Family
Prosumers on Family and Togetherness

90% of the Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners sample of 2,001 random and representative Americans agree: "My family is the most important thing in my life"
Males, 80% (mean 4.31); females, 93% (mean 4.67)

Prosumers, 93% (extremely high agree mean of 4.7); consumers, 89% (mean 4.54)

Consumer males scored lowest agreement: 75%, for still-high

1/3 of sample (34%) agree: "I worry my 'family unit' is not working as well as I'd like

Consumers, 36% (mean 2.9); prosumers, 28% (mean 2.59)

Prosumers not exempt from anxieties, but probably more inclined to feel able to do something about them

Parenting in Turbulent Times
Respondents were asked for level of agreement with a number of statements relating to raising children and education

Bringing up children emerges as all-round nurturing task, with parents taking a somewhat worried eye to future (and not just regarding academic achievement)

64% agree: "In my personal experience, parents of student athletes need to be coached in sportsmanship"

Prosumers males, 83% vs. prosumer females, 70%

Kids Are #1 Priority and Focus--Especially for Prosumers

89% agree: "My kids are my pride and joy"

Among prosumers, 97% of males agree (very high agree mean of 4.86) vs. 95% of females (very high agree mean of 4.76)

Among consumers, 91% of women agree (mean 4.64) vs. 3/4 of sample agree: "The label 'mother' or 'father' is a fundamental part of my identity"

68% of males (mean 4.04) vs. 77% of females (mean 4.12)

82% prosumers (mean 4.3) vs. 72% consumers (mean 4.02)

Consumer males identified least with "father" label: 59% (3.84)--in stark contrast with 90% of prosumer males (4.55)

Hipper and More Involved Than Own Parents

Most respondents (66%) agreed: "I am a hipper parent than my parents were" (high agreement mean of 3.91)

Prosumers, 80% (mean 4.3) vs. consumers, 61% (mean 3.76)

Females, 70% (mean 4.03) vs. males, 56% (mean 3.54)

This view went across generations: Lowest agreement being 59% from 55+ group and highest (68%) from 34–54s

Prosumer females feel hippest overall (81%, mean 4.37), and consumer males least hip (48%, mean 3.32)

46% agree: "I believe I am a better parent than my parents were" (22% disagree)

46% agree: "My parents were far less involved with my schooling than I am with my kids' schooling" (30% disagree)

For both statements, prosumers and females more confident

WIRELESS – from different perspectives

Wireless Trends:

* If you don’t want to be ignored you need to understand the power of WiFi during meetings. WiFi is changing the dynamics of conferences and business meetings as attendees and employees are hunched over their computers rather than listening to speakers. WiFi will be death to poor speakers. Speakers need to understand how to leverage the power of WiFi to capture the attention of audiences – or they will be ignored!

* Corporate presenters beware! The combination of WiFi + journalism + Weblogs is making it more difficult for speakers to pull the wool over the eyes of attendees. Here’s what’s happening: Journalists post comments about speakers as they are presenting, people in the audience and around the world read the comments and e-mail their own comments to journalists – sometimes with additional facts (not always positive) -- which the conference/meeting audience can then read – all while the speaker is still presenting.

* Cellular camera phones are not only for snapping holiday photos. They could change the dynamics of justice systems around the world. Camera phone users already are beginning to transmit photos of accidents and suspicious characters to the police. Camera phones will help catch criminals as well as possibly violate individual rights.

* We are only just beginning to see the effects of what happens when true “wireless Internet” – 100K bps and above offered at reasonable prices – is available. Buying habits for computers will change. When corporate executives can access the wireless Internet, such as 802.11b/a/g/, in their office buildings, at conferences, airports, hotels, coffee shops and railway stations, there will be many more reasons to carry a laptop computer. But the trend will be to purchase much lighter laptops because executives will be carrying them more places more often.

Alan A. Reiter, president, Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing consulting

reiter@wirelessinternet.com

reiter.weblogger.com

www.wirelessinternet.com

FROM INTEL AND RELATED SOURCES:

More places

Public wireless hotspots worldwide expected to increase from 15k to >300k by 2006 (TeleAnalytics 2002)

More people

Frequent public WLAN users worldwide expected to increase to 31 million by 2007 (Gartner 08 ’02)

More PCs

By 2003, more than 30% of mobile PCs sold worldwide will include integrated wireless — with millions more offering wireless cards (Intel estimate)

The key here is that Intel is working with and investing in companies that are bringing hotspots and WiFi technologies to more places and making it easier for more people.

Accelerating “Hotspot” Deployment Worldwide

Hotspots -- locations where users can connect using 802.11 wireless technology -- are on the rise, enabling users to be more mobile than ever. According to industry analyst firm IDC, there will be more than 118,000 hotspots worldwide by 2005.**

As part of the introduction of Intel^® Centrino^TM mobile technology, Intel has been working with leading wireless network service providers, hotels, airports, retail and restaurant chains worldwide to accelerate deployment and increase awareness of wireless public hotspots. In addition to marketing and promotional activities, Intel developed the Wireless Verification Program which includes engineering and testing of Intel Centrino mobile technology with various access point devices, software combinations, hotspot locations and wireless service providers to verify they are compatible, further enhancing the end user’s wireless experience. Intel’s efforts worldwide have already resulted in thousands of verified hotspots. The company expects to verify more than 10,000 by the end of the year.

Intel has also created a standardized worldwide Wireless Identifier Program that includes signs to help users identify where they can connect wirelessly. The program informs users that a particular service provider’s network has been verified with Intel Centrino mobile technology. In addition, the company last year created a $150 million fund to invest in companies that are helping to expand and accelerate the infrastructure and capabilities required to make wireless computing ubiquitous. What People Can Do with Unwired Mobile Technology

Using truly mobile notebook computers can change the way people live. With notebooks based on Intel Centrino mobile technology, a business traveler can check office email or read the hometown newspaper online while waiting for a flight at the airport, and still have battery life left to watch a DVD movie on the plane ride home. A real estate agent can check the latest listings wirelessly while dining with prospective home-buyers. A financial planner can check the market and activate client orders while at a seminar without compromising on the performance necessary to run the most demanding office applications. Students can register for next semester’s classes or seek a part-time job from the college library, all on a sleek, light-weight system that won’t drag them down.

PARKS ASSOCIATES:

Wireless solutions have enticed over one-half of future home networking adopters, according to Parks Associates' Broadband Access @ Home III. Specifically, more than 50% of Internet households interested in purchasing a home network in the next 12 months prefer a wireless networking solution, comprising over 1.5 million of the 3 million households likely to adopt home networking in 2003.

"Consumers have gained an appreciation of wireless connectivity through their use of cellular phones and cordless handsets," said Michael Greeson, senior analyst and director of broadband research for Parks Associates. "Although Ethernet was the first choice of early network adopters, wireless solutions will dominate the next wave of home networks. Freeing the PC from a tether is as natural as liberating the telephone from the wall jack."

Parks Associates estimates that by year-end 2003, more than 9.5 million households will have a home network deployed, with close to 2 million of these households using wireless networking technology. By 2006, more than 7 million U.S. households will have a home network with wireless technology.

Revisited predictions: Wireless Systems Design Magazine
The dismal economy has had a far greater affect on my earlier predictions
than the war on Iraq. Still, Wi-Fi products continue to grow in sales, albeit not as quickly. Emphasis now is on combo packages that support both the low-speed (802.11b) and high-speed (802.11a and g) versions. One interesting new development is the introduction of PC Modem cards that support wireless Internet access via both cellular networks (e.g., GSM/GPRS and CDMA) and Wi-Fi. The idea is that you can connect to the Internet via the high speed Wi-Fi modem when near a hot spot, or via a slower 2.5G cellular connection when on-the-go. Some of the PC adapter cards even let you make cellular phone calls from you laptop. Notable manufacturers include Sierra Wireless, Novatel Wireless and Nokia.

Another related trend is the increased financial support of Wi-Fi hot spots by cellular provides like AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Cometa is perhaps the most interesting experiment along those lines.

After the war, I expect to see an increase in wireless technology that has security application, like smaller and faster embedded systems, MEMS (micron level) and NEMS (nano level) devices, and data security. China will continue to grow as a major player in the global wireless market. Wireless games (many with location-based capabilities) will grow, as a way to take folks mind off the economy.

John E. Blyler
Senior Technology Editor - Wireless Systems Design magazine
Associate Conference Chair - Military Electronic Show 2003

RESEARCH RESULTS

Digital Research, Inc. Pop!Poll conducted in partnership
with Nextpert News Network

In our latest DRI Pop!Poll, we asked 367 online visitors for their opinions and behavior during the War in Iraq. 185 women and 182 men answered our poll. The average age of those surveyed is 44. It must be noted, however, that this poll is not regarded as scientific, as it was not weighted to the population.

Respondents were asked how their feelings or activities have changed since the war in Iraq has begun. The majority, 72%, say they are “supporting our troops,” and half (52%) are “watching more television.” Few are actually changing their day to day activities, such as changing work or travel plans. However, women appear to be more worried in general than men (23% vs. 13%). In fact, they are just as likely to say they are worried as hopeful. Conversely, men are significantly more likely to say they are hopeful than worried (23% vs. 13%).

Respondents were also asked their predictions regarding what will happen at home or abroad once the war ends. Respondents predict both positive and negative outcomes from this war. Many of the positive predictions include an improvement in our economy, freedom for the Iraqi people and things going back to normal. Negative predictions include continued terrorist activities, U.S. backlash from our activities, and continued world instability.

Detailed Survey Responses

Since the war in Iraq has begun, how have your feelings and activities changed?
Since the war began, I’m...

	Total	Male	Female
	N=367	N=182	N=185
	%	%	%
Supporting our troops	72	72	72
Watching more TV	52	53	51
More Proud of my country	43	43	42
More concerned about the economy	40	42	37
More worried about homeland security	32	30	35
Hopeful	22	23	21
Spending Less Money	20	18	21
More Worried	18	13	23
Not sweating the small stuff	18	19	17
Spending more time at home	13	13	13
In greater contact with my friends and family	12	12	12
Changing my travel plans	8	8	8
Not concentrating like I used to	7	6	8
Working more	6	8	5
Frightened	5	2	9
Eating more junk food	4	3	5
Spending More Mney	4	3	4
Working Less	3	5	1

VERBATIM RESPONSES TO WHAT DO YOU PREDICT WILL HAPPEN AT HOME ONCE THE WAR ENDS – included: (most frequent responses)

- more terrorist attacks

- economy will improve at home, more concentration on the economy

- unless weapons of mass destruction are found there will be more fences to mend

- fuel prices will drop

From Marian Salzman, Chief Strategic Officer, Euro RSCG Worldwide

In Our Sights: Music Content Industry in Crisis Today

…and Tomorrow?

There's a boom in sales of writeable CDs (CD-R), and it's driven largely by piracy. Copyright outlaws who mass-produce copies of CDs account for almost 40 percent of global recorded CD sales, raking in an estimated US$4.3 billion worldwide, according to IFPI, which represents record producers and distributors around the world. At the other end of the scale are millions of consumers with an Internet connection and a CD burner who are swapping and copying each other's tracks in the spirit of Apple Computer's controversial 2001 TV campaign theme, "Rip, Mix, Burn."

	China is not only the world's most populous country, it is also the world's biggest market for pirated CDs—90 percent of CDs bought there are illegal copies. Indonesia is close behind at 85 percent. Ukraine and Russia are also hot spots for pirated CDs, with around 80 percent and 65 percent, respectively. In Europe, Greece, Spain, and Italy have big illegal markets (50 percent, 30 percent, and 25 percent). In Latin America, economic crises are fueling the market for pirates: 55 percent of Brazil's market is pirated, as is 60 percent of Mexico's. Laying claim to the highest percentage of piracy is the small nation of Paraguay, at 99 percent. That country is a major transit center and point of access for pirates in Latin America, according to IFPI.
	Concerted action by the music industry managed to shut down Internet file-swapping network Napster in 2001, but plenty of other peer-to-peer (P2P) services have taken its place. Headline-maker Kazaa has an estimated 60 million users worldwide. That's a massive market for advertisers, Kazaa's source of revenue.
	CD-Rs are just the beginning of the music industry's worries. CD writers now shipped on most computers can store around 75 minutes of sound per CD. But DVDs have ten times that capacity and are shaping up to overtake the CD-R by 2006. Some pirate DVDs have been seized containing the entire catalogue of a single artist or hundreds of digital music tracks.

All is not hopeless for the music industry, at least when it comes to choking off Internet file sharing. PC World reports that the U.S. arm of the industry may well use 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act much more aggressively by going after individuals who download copyrighted content. Last year the Recording Industry Association of America served ISP Verizon with a subpoena demanding that it disclose the identity of a user who uploaded more than 600 songs while connected to the company's Internet service.

And it's not just smart crossover Latins such as Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, and Jennifer "J.Lo" Lopez. Nor just summer dance fads like the Macarena. The success of the Cuban music in Buena Vista Social Club since the 1999 movie and CD release of the same name shows there's plenty of appetite for more típico Latin sounds.

	Despite its US$500 million domestic music industry, rich musical culture, and increasingly influential diaspora, India's music has had a surprisingly limited impact on the world's popular music mix--so far. But the surge in popularity of yoga around the world has spawned an entire subgenre of music to stretch, bend, and meditate to. Chanting maestro Krishna Das (born Jeff Kagel on Long Island, N.Y) has emerged as a leading proponent. With a more up-tempo take on India, U.K.-based Asian Dub Foundation is pioneering what it calls a combination of hard ragga-jungle rhythms, indo-dub bass lines, searing sitar-inspired guitars, and "traditional" sounds gleaned from their parents' record collections, shot through with fast-chat lyrics.
	The highly wired Nordic countries continue to be influential in popular music. Iceland's population is just 288,000, yet the remote island nation boasts not just worldwide superstar Björk and up-and-coming bands Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, and Múm, but also a rising star in the budding DIY electronic instrument scene, 20-year-old Elvar Már Kjartansson (a.k.a. Auxpan).
	Also in the Nordic region, Danish new garage rock duo the Raveonettes is quickly building a following in Europe and the United States. Connoisseurs of seriously hard-edged rock are finding that it's Sweden that delivers at the moment with bands like the Hives and the Hellacopters. But the country's music scene is about more than loud guitar bands: Swedish jazz trio EST, headed by pianist Esbjörn Svensson, has managed not only to wow hardcore jazz fans across Europe, but also to get a jazz album into the Swedish pop charts following an appearance on Swedish MTV—the first ever by a jazz group.
	Now that the remote parts of Central Asia are opening up, the fabled Silk Road is emerging as a new pole in the world of music. The rich sounds, sinuous beats, and exotic tones of the region's popular music are attracting attention from outside. Tashkent in Uzbekistan is the crucial node. Local recording stars such as diva and parliamentarian Yulduz Usmanova and 25-year-old Sevara Nazarkhan blend tradition with modernity in beguiling combinations.

In Our Sights: Tech Tunes
Music has long been about people using technology to make and play back sounds. The pipe organ, the piano, the valve trumpet, the saxophone, the pianola, the phonograph, and the electric guitar were all revolutionary technologies. Today, digital technology dominates the storage and distribution of music in the form of CDs, MP3s, DVDs, Internet, and broadband. It also increasingly influences the way music is created.

	In the heyday of big rock and singer-songwriters in the 1970s, music made purely with electronics was the preserve of fringe noninstrumentalists: Think British ambient-music pioneer Brian Eno, German electronic dance music originals Kraftwerk, and French extravaganza specialist Jean-Michel Jarre--all still going strong. Now it's mainstream. Big-selling music-makers such as Moby and Massive Attack don't play any instruments--they create their music in the studio and on PCs.
	Computers are also moving to the center of the recording process. British music producer Duncan Bridgeman and art director Jamie Catto took a laptop computer and a digital video camera on a trip around 25 countries to record and mix local musicians on what has became the hit CD and Grammy-nominated DVD 1 Giant Leap.
	Computer and software makers are keen to get a slice of the action. For work, Microsoft's Office suite is the industry standard worldwide. The equivalent position in the world of professional and home music making is occupied by Pro Tools from Digidesign, a division of Avid Corporation.

In Our Sights: Influential Notes and Beats
The essential ingredients of popular music are simple: strong beats (preferably danceable), ear-catching tunes, a distinctive sound, and a certain mood. In some places, peoples and cultures just seem to have a knack for creating music that crosses boundaries and inspires others for a time--think 19th century Vienna and the Waltz, New Orleans jazz in the early 20th century. So where are the nodes now?

As the Hispanic presence in the United States grows, and as globalization opens up Latin America, Latin-flavored sounds are moving from bland, marketing-driven boy bands and girl bands seem to be an enduring feature of the music market—witness the current wave of TV shows such as "Idols" in the U.K. and the U.S.’s "American Idol," in which viewers select the winners. But there's also an appetite for pop stars with attitude such as Avril Lavigne, Pink, Kelly Osbourne, and of course Eminem--affectionately described by DJ rapper Ice T as bringing the Jerry Springer factor into popular music.

In Our Sights: Mixing Flavors
Popular music has always been wildly promiscuous. Musical trailblazers push the envelope by mixing familiar sounds with unusual and edgy elements. So what's new? Speed and reach. Trailblazers can now track down, taste, sample, and blend sounds from around the world in record time. Content-hungry TV programmers and hyperconnected consumers ensure that new ideas spread and cross-pollinate quickly.

	Some music fans can't get enough of their preferred style, while others prefer a more varied menu. With true post-modern eclecticism, members of the latter group select their sounds to complement or alter their moods--perhaps classical for breakfast, techno at the gym, R&B at drive time, world lounge over dinner, and Sinatra in bed.
	Jewish-Tunisian-French deejay, club owner, former hippie, and global citizen Claude Challe has proved that dinner music can do more than aid digestion. At Parisian venues such as the chic Buddha Bar restaurant, Challe mixes house, ambient, North African, Asian, and French music to create distinctive "Zen" soundscapes for upmarket diners. His string of CDs is creating a stir in France and beyond.
	Off-the-beaten-track travel guidebook publisher Rough Guide has applied its brand of exploration to music, with more than 30 books titles, 100 CDs, collaboration on the Songlines world music magazine, and creation of a set of world music guides with Britain's BBC Radio 3. Musical adventurers can also check out the French equivalent, Le Guide du Routard, which showcases a weekly world music pick on its website (www.routard.com/mag_musiques.asp).
	The popularity of world music can be charted from the growth of the WOMAD organization (World of Music, Arts, and Dance), which was co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel and held its first festival, in the U.K., in 1982. Since then it has organized events all over the world. Another key event for world music fans and music business networkers is WOMEX (World Music Expo), first held in 1994. The 2003 event will be held in October in Seville, Spain to coincide with the World Flamenco Fair.

Music has been one of the most revolutionary forces at work round the world for the last century--socially, technologically, culturally, and commercially. It was through music that Afro-Americans started making their presence in the world felt and continue to this day to exercise a massive and evolving cultural influence. In a globalized world constantly on the lookout for new sensations, other cultural groups may now be at the beginning of a similar path of influence through music. The growing worldwide interest in alternative/spiritual pursuits and exotic flavors suggests that the Indian and the Arab/Islamic traditions could be the ones to watch.

Music is a political force even when it's not political. Rock (and roll) provided the soundtrack and the cultural references for members of the baby boom generation, who now dominate positions of power around the world. It's no coincidence that Czechoslovakia's liberation from communism was called "The Velvet Revolution"--poet-president Vaclav Havel is a great fan of New York rock group Velvet Underground. Leading popular musicians aren't just celebrities, they're influencers--consider the fact that, Bono of Irish band U2 has access to world leaders such as Pope Paul II to U.S. President George Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

In time the same could well happen with current outrage specialists such as Eminem and gangsta rappers--after all, the Rolling Stone's still badly behaved lead singer was awarded a knighthood last year and is now Sir Mick Jagger.

Music is simultaneously at the leading edge of convergence and also at its heart. It's where technology, art, and innovation are coming together and reaching critical mass. And above all it's where prosumers are increasingly in the driver’s seat. Not only do ordinary individuals have the power to make their own music and record it to a high standard. They can hear it whenever and wherever they want; they have the means to be total masters of their own sonic environment, their personal soundscape.

What's more extraordinary--and more currently more threatening to the music industry--is that individuals now have the technical means to distribute their own music and other people's at extremely low cost and high speed. And this doesn't just mean illegal file-sharing. It also opens up the possibility of artists and independent labels having direct access to music buyers and so having a much stronger hand in the eternal arm-wrestle with the big music distribution companies.

Most of the artists mentioned in this issue of S.T.A.R. View have their own website and hence--with the wonders of MP3 and broadband technology--they have the means to bypass the established music business. What stops established artists following the bypass-the-industry model is distribution deals with the record companies. And what stops newcomers and small labels is their lack of awareness and exposure to potential fans.

But in a business where royalty deals are notoriously slanted away from the artist, there's clearly scope for other sorts of business models and new partnerships between artists and marketers.

Opportunity Knocks

The sky's the limit for convergence products. It can only be a matter of time before we have MP3-capable watches and sunglasses.

In-car MP3 hard disks with Wi-Fi transfer will hit the market this year on the way to becoming standard (as ABSn and airbags did before them). The opportunity for a marquee is to move fast and brand it.

File-sharing kids claim that the high price of CDs forces them to break the law. Maybe it's time for a top-name artist to market a new release at a bargain-bin price and see if the kids buy.

In-store burn-on-demand CDs have long been mooted but never really happened. Could now be the last chance?

Personal-music making technology still takes some mastering. We've yet to see the device that will have the same widespread appeal as the piano in 19th century and the guitar in the 20th.

Non-music brands can enrich their connection to consumers by developing a distinctive musical brand image--a "sonic identity" going beyond a 30" TVC.

Music and sound tend to come as add-on to visuals and words in brand communication. Why? Isn't it time for them to be offered as core brand elements?

College radio stations now broadcast through the web. Brand-owners have an opportunity to do the same, especially those with lifestyle-related products. Which brand-owners will step forward to offer artists a more attractive deal to connection to market than music companies?

We have architects, interior designers, garden designers, personal style advisers. Watch out for personal soundscape advisers.

The Demystification of Wine

Two Buck Chuck:

Record number of barrels sold in U.S. last year due in large part to shift in industry toward cheap and easy

Cheap: Vintners producing more lower-priced brands

– Two Buck Chuck, nickname for Charles F. Shaw varietal sold only at Trader Joe's ($1.99 in California, $2.99 outside state)

– This label alone added full ½ share point to U.S. wine market

Easy: Greater share of category sales at mass-market outlets

– About 1/3 of sales come from warehouse clubs, drugstores, and supermarkets in 33 states where sales in these venues is permitted
– Safeway and Albertson's exploring private-label varietals in ultra-low price category
– Target's private-label, Archer Farms, trying to "demystify the wine buying process" with a wine wheel at POP

Wine industry welcomes new audience

– "If it brings new people into the category it could only be a good thing — a service doing as much as advertising." —Robert Celsi, VP, Trinchero Family Estates (Sutter Home)

At Family-Style Restaurants:

Casual dining has huge influence on food and beverage experimentation—look at what Olive Garden is up to:

– Recognized and awarded for wine program by Monterrey Wine Festival and Cheers magazine
– Sampling in lobby, lessons on pairing food with wines; last year, more than 30MM diners enjoyed wine samples at OG
– Of 46 wines on menu, 38 offered by glass
– "Olive Garden's wine program is revolutionary among casual dining restaurants because its educational components encourage guests to try something new." — Master Sommelier Andrea M. Immer, author of Andrea Immer's Wine Buying Guide for Everyone

Wine Knowledge Courtesy of Celebrity Chefs:

Celebrity chefs on Food Channel and other outlets (Nigella, Emeril, Jamie Oliver
et al.) routinely discuss pairing of wines and foods

Chefs opening namesake restaurants, with wine pairings SOP

– Daniel Boulud to open Café Boulud in Palm Beach
– Emeril has 7 restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando
– Jean-Georges has taken name from New York to Las Vegas, Paris, London, Bahamas, Chicago, Hong Kong

Competition is stiff; chefs constantly looking for interesting flavors to accompany their increasingly intricate creations

Emeril has teamed up with Fetzer Vineyards to launch new line of California wines: Emeril's Classics

A New Way to Think About Wine:

In keeping with general trend away from highbrow and intimidating, wine snobbery becoming passé

Some forward-thinking merchants and labels have set out to demystify world of wine and take risk out of wine selection

Consumer-friendly terms descriptive of taste and bouquet are being used to supplement the sometimes confusing classification system

Industry Innovator: Best Cellars

- "You know what you like. We know wine."
- Founded on premise that selecting a wine to fit your food or mood should be simple, easy, and affordable

Made You Look (and Maybe Buy):

Vineyards across globe are shunning formality and sophistication of traditional wine marketing and featuring wines with distinctive names and novel/unusual labels

- American: Cardinal Zin, Marilyn Merlot, White Trash White, Redneck Red
- French: Old Git, Old Tart, Fat Bastard, Utter Bastard, The Dog's Bollocks, Ten Degrees (features thermometer that changes color as it chills)
- New Zealand: Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush
- South Africa: Under the Table, Rude Girl and Rude Boy (features heat-sensitive labels decorated with models; clothes disappear upon chilling)
- Spain: Scraping the Barrel

Today's Wine Drinker
Casting a Wider Net:

Typical wine consumer in U.S. is still more affluent and better educated than average American

- Adults who have purchased a bottle of wine in past 3 months are 34% more likely than average consumer to have HH income of $75K+
- 28% more likely to have college degree or more
- Nearly 75% of wine purchasers own their own homes

Assumption that most are part of older generation is false

- ¼ of wine purchasers are between ages 21 and 34

New "training wheel" products aimed at bringing novice drinkers into wine world

- Canandaigua Wines produces Arbor Mist, a flavored, sweet wine brand that is introducing "wine blenders" (put in blender with ice for wine-like margarita)

Today's Wine Consumers Are Multicultural:

Ethnic makeup of wine drinkers reflects ethnic breakout of U.S. population

- Nationally, 10% of wine drinkers are Asian, 10% are Hispanic

About 1/3 of African Americans and Hispanics have purchased wine

More than 25% of Hispanics drink wine despite lack of marketing directed at them

- "Hispanics spend less time eating out than any other ethnic group. They eat at home and their celebrations revolve around food, so wine would be a natural addition." -Paul Wagner, Balzac Communications (wine industry PR firm)

Hot trends in sports: from Mike May of SGMA

1.) Extreme/Action/Adventure Sports -- paintball, rock climbing,
skateboarding, snowboarding, and aggressive inline skating

2.) Clothing with the wicking abilities that's easy to wear, easy to wash,
cool (as in comfortable). Under Armour, Nike, and Russell are three
companies with these attributes in some of their shirts

3.) Exercise machines -- they are user-friendly, unisexual by design, give
lots of feedback, and there's a machine for every fitness enthusiast

The U.S. Sporting Goods Industry: Where It's Been - Where It's Heading

Las Vegas, Nevada – January 19, 2003 – Here are some facts: nearly three million girls play high school sports, 86% of all Americans follow sports, and sports licensed products are on the rise again! Those are just some of the findings contained in the 2003 SGMA International State of the Industry report. The highlights of this annual document were delivered by SGMA International President/CEO John Riddle during the 17th Annual Financial Day International at The Super Show^® / 20 - 03. SGMA International's State of the Industry provides an unprecedented insight into the sporting goods industry – nearly a $50 billion market (at wholesale).

This document contains a recap of 2002, as well as a look at 2003. In 2002, manufacturers' sales are estimated at $49.1 billion – a 2.8% increase over 2001. In 2003, sales are projected to reach $50.5 billion. This represents a 2.9% increase over 2002.

The sporting goods industry's growth in 2002 was slightly greater than that of the total U.S. non-durable goods (GDP), which expanded about 2.3%. The three major segments of the sporting goods industry are sports apparel ($21.8 billion), athletic footwear ($9.5 billion) and sporting goods equipment ($17.8 billion). Sports apparel, athletic footwear and fitness products showed improved sales growth in 2002.

For 2003, the three ‘hottest' sports are projected to be soccer, fitness and basketball, according to SGMA's Survey of Manufacturers. Soccer and fitness ranked one and two, respectively, in 2002, but basketball ranked fifth. Some of the forces likely to affect the sporting goods industry in 2003 are severe price competition, boost from fashion trends, changing demographics, consolidation and tariff issues.

Some other significant observations include:

Females emerge as a key segment. They account for a majority of sports apparel purchases and a rise in participation in organized school sports.

The mature market, ages 55 and older, will grow by nearly 40% between 2000 and 2010, representing an opportunity for fitness companies and other industry segments to cater to this segment.

The youth sports playing population (ages 5-19) will grow by just 3% from 2000-2010, but is a large segment – 59 million strong.

While significant growth occurred in the youth sports-playing population in the last decade – the number of youth participants would probably have been stronger if the 8-11 year old segment was more active, as 93% say they watch TV every day, but only 24% play sports every day.

86% of all Americans over the age of 12 say they are sports fans and 29% consider themselves ‘avid' sports fans.

To encourage participation in sports, many sporting goods industry groups are cooperating on marketing programs to attract more participants.

A recent SGMA International survey found that 97% of parents believe that organized sports improve their children's physical fitness and 93% of parents believe that sports promote their children's personal growth.

This 33 page report also contains articles on athletic footwear, basketball, baseball, billiards/pool, bowling, fitness equipment, golf, outdoor, skateboarding, skating – inline and roller (2x2), soccer, softball, sports apparel, sports licensed products, and tennis.

Athletic Footwear

Running is still the largest category, but basketball shoes are rebounding. The "retro" look remained strong in 2002. Those aged 13 to 24 comprise about 5% of the total U.S. population yet account for nearly one-third of all spending for athletic footwear.

Basketball

Nearly 40 million Americans are playing basketball, of which ten million call it their favorite sport. Composite basketballs have captured the lion's share of the market for college, high school, league and home play.

Baseball

Even though baseball still retains a strong core of loyal players and has millions of fans, there is declining participation in what was once called "America's pastime." In 2003, SGMA International's Baseball/Softball Participation Committee will begin a program with the American Baseball Coaches Association to help more children play ball.

Billiards/Pool

The billiards/pool industry sales increased by 7% to $246 million (at wholesale) in 2002. More females and children are playing billiards/pool. Pool participation is benefiting from increased TV exposure. The "cocooning" effect in the wake of 9/11 has benefited billiards/pool.

Bowling

Bowling is America's most popular sport, with more than 55 million participants. SGMA International estimates that U.S. sales of bowling equipment rose 3% in 2002 to $226 million (at wholesale) and that similar growth will occur in 2003.

Fitness Equipment

Fitness/exercise equipment is the largest category of sporting goods equipment sales – $3.8 billion in 2002. The number of individuals who worked out ‘frequently' (100+ days per year) with strength equipment has increased 56% since 1990. There are nearly 35 million members of health clubs in the U.S.

Golf

There are nearly 30 million golfers, of which nine million play on a ‘frequent' basis (25+ days per year). A junior golf development program, "The First Tee," established its 100th learning facility in 2002. Its goal is to introduce 500,000 children to golf by 2005.

Outdoor

The even distribution of hiking and camping participants across most age groups is an indication of the family appeal of these activities. Participation in camping has increased 18% since 1990. According to SGMA International, manufacturers' shipments of outdoor equipment rose just 2% in 2002 to $1.73 billion.

Skateboarding

Sales of skateboard shoes have increased 70% in the past two years. With 12.5 million participants, skateboarding is the second most popular "extreme" sport – second only to inline skating.

Skating – Inline and Roller (2x2)

There are more than 26 million inline skaters. The average participant is 17.5 years of age and inline skating is enjoyed equally by males and females. Inline marathons are a burgeoning trend. Traditional roller skating may be benefiting from a fashion trend inspired in part by Britney Spears.

Soccer

There has been an 87% increase in ‘frequent' participation ( 52+ days per year) since 1990. Females represent 45% of all players and 47% of ‘frequent' players. Total sales of soccer balls and equipment have doubled in the last decade.

Softball

Fast-pitch softball is the second-fastest growing team sport for high school girls, behind soccer. The Olympic gold medal success of the U.S. Women's Softball Team in 1996 and 2000 is credited with increasing interest in the game. Two programs designed to attract young players to slow-pitch softball will be launched in 2003 by SGMA International's Baseball/Softball Participation Committee.

Sports Apparel

Purchases of ‘overall' sports apparel are broken down as follows: women's apparel 45%; men's apparel 35%; and children's 20%. Sales of ‘active' sports apparel outperformed the ‘overall' sports apparel category in 2002. In the ‘active' sports apparel category, men's apparel accounts for more than 50% of all spending.

Sports Licensed Products

Sports licensed apparel enjoyed a turnaround year in 2002. Sports logo apparel of all kinds are back in style. Video game sales and the retro/nostalgic design captured a large part of the market. Apparel designers are working hard to blend traditional sports looks with current fashion trends.

Tennis

The Tennis Industry Association expects manufacturers' sales to improve by around 4% in 2003. The USTA has been working harder in recent years to promote team tennis, which tends to be more social, less serious and less competitive than league play.

SGMA International, owner of The Super Show®, is the global business trade association of manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the sports products industry. SGMA International fosters industry growth and advances members' interests through market research, communications, public policy, sports promotion, and international business development programs.

SGMA INTERNATIONAL

Website: www.sgma.com

RESEARCH RESULTS

2003 Brand Survivability Ratings

A review of the top 50 most highly-rated brands indicates that consumers will stick with the basics, with or without flag-waving. "It's not the 'bunker' mentality of September 11th," said Robert Passikoff, President of Brand Keys, a New York City-based customer loyalty research consultancy. "It's a real return to basic and unadorned American values."

It's back to "brand basics," according to the 15,400 adult Americans (ages 21-59) who participated in the Brand Keys (www.brandkeys.com) Customer Loyalty Index Brand Survivability Assessment. Actual brand consumers rated 180 brands in 32 categories on the following three attributes.

The degree to which the brand is robust enough to withstand the pressures of a wartime economy.

Does the brand represent lasting and solidly American values?

The level of confidence the consumer has for the brand.

Where Retailers Stand
For retailers (on- and off-line and catalogs), consumers chose Wal-Mart (#3), Sears (#9-- Sears Catalogue #14), Amazon.com (#10), JC Penney Store (#18), and the L. L. Bean Catalogue (#15). Apparently, they're going to "Buy American," with New Balance (#30), the only athletic shoe in the top 50.

Comfort food seems to be the rule of the day. Nearly all soft drinks (diet and regular) show up with Coca-Cola (#1) and Pepsi (#6) leading the list. Food brands include: Dunkin' Donuts (#31), Pizza Hut (#35), and Domino's Pizza (#38). Alcoholic preferences included: Coors Light (#25), Miller Genuine Draft (#44), Budweiser (#46), and Bud Light (#47). Imports suffered, showing up in the bottom five rated brands.

For information needs, American Morning on CNN (#42) and The Today Show (#49) were the most highly-rated brands. Sports preferences leaned towards Major League Baseball (#8) and the NFL (#17).

The war with Iraq is sure to curtail travel. That said, Avis (#2) and Hertz Car Rental (#11) were the car rental brands to show up on the top of the list. When they gas up, it's Texaco Gasoline (#40), the only gasoline brand in the top 50. Risking flight? Southwest Airlines (#21) was the only airline brand to make the top 50.

People will value communications even more. For mobile and long distance telecommunications, the leading brands were AT & T Long Distance(#7), Verizon Wireless (#13), and Sprint PCS Wireless (#23). Motorola (#41) was the phone brand of choice.

Going on-line? IBM (#24) and Apple Computers (#27) rated highest, with consumers using the following on-line services: AOL.com (#5), Google.com (#19), Yahoo.com (#22), and Netscape.com (#26).

Fedex (#28), Airborne Express Delivery (#33), and UPS (#34) beat out the U.S. Postal Service (#123).

How to pay for all this basic buying? American Express credit card (#20) is the only financial brand in the top 50. (Visa was #93, Discover Card #137, and MasterCard was #156.)

"The 'survivability' assessments are a good yardstick to use to see which brands and categories will do better than others. --Think of it as an extra bit of brand equity, at a time when that will really count," said Dr. Passikoff. "Consumers will be looking for continuity and reassurance. Brands that are visible and viable-- even in the face of war-- will thrive. If there ever was a time to advertise, it's now."

Brand Keys (www.brandkeys.com) is a world leader in customer loyalty research, providing brand equity measures that accurately predict future consumer behavior to enable companies to anticipate shifts in a rapidly changing marketplace. Brand Keys has published the Customer Loyalty Index of leading companies in 26 product and service categories since 1996.

HOME TRENDS from IFDA/NY

At recent home furnishings markets — the International Builders’ Show, surfaces, and the New York International Gift Fair – the focus is on technology, the garden and the garage, and surfaces that look real.

Whether it plays out as friendly and cozy, or creepy and surreal, only time will tell. But the most recent IFDA/NY Market Report notes that technology is happening all over the home.

At The International Builders’ Show (Jan 21-24), IFDA/NY Market Reporter, Barbara Mayer, notes technology driven features leading the way with windows from Anderson helping houses to breath, an LG refrigerator with Internet access, walls that change color on demand, and computerized under-floor heating to keep us the right amount of cozy.

The same show takes a look at the Backyard with precision outdoor cooking equipment, and the Garage - the last unexplored space in the home - with sleek storage, a compact refrigerator and a compactor designed for that space.

With ever more of us staying at home, Surfaces (Jan. 29-31), the trade show which focuses on floor coverings, displayed materials for cross-platform living, with floor coverings presented for residential uses that would typically be seen in a contract setting such as concrete and embossed metal-look flooring and carpet tiles. In keeping with our current economy, the show emphasized affordable: easy-to maintain flooring that replicates the look of wood, stone, tile and even concrete.

Following trends which have now been in place for five or six years, The New York International Gift Fair revealed a heightened interest in the Garden, and we’re all in favor of that.

Conclusion: Reflecting our society's current ambivalence, the Report notes two overall design trends with an eye to the past, moving in opposite directions: one towards the 1960’s and the other towards early 19th century Regency design with a Hollywood flair, as noted by Better Homes & Gardens senior interior designer, Joe Boehm.

We want it all, indoors and out. But we want it controlled. As technology roars ahead, we look to the past for structure and identity. We’ll get our excitement from REALITY TV and COLORS like PINK and ACID GREEN, but we’re keeping it comfortable, beautiful, friendly and SAFE with access to the world controlled by the push of a button.

What’s New and Hot in home design
We are embracing the light according to International Furnishings and Design Association, New York (IFDA/NY) Board Member Michael Amendolara, an Interior Designer specializing in residential design in Manhattan, New York State and Florida.

Michael says people want to live with light and some are going to
extraordinary lengths to bring light into their homes. It can be
scientifically proven that light is beneficial, he said. Now the technology is developing to give us what we want and windows are getting bigger.

Even in Manhattan - city of towers and walls - windows are getting bigger, sometimes moving into whole rooms. Pre-fabricated window sales are zooming.

Thanks to UV glass, protective films, and creative wiring to control window treatments which move electronically, and can therefore be quite large, we can have expanses of window facing the sun. We can have our windows and stay protected from UV rays and even from heat gain, he said.

In one case Manhattan Coop owners broke every outside wall creating windows and co-opting their terraces which are enormous, said Amendolara.

WARNING - THERE IS A DARK SIDE TO ALL THIS LIGHT: Architecture has been ahead of technology, and many places have large windows with no UV shield, no heat shield. People will still want and need fabrics to soften the look of their homes, and protective films to shield them from heat and UV rays.

The best time to prepare for light management techniques is during
construction. Don’t wait until you’ve added windows to your pre-war
apartment or century old home to consider window treatments.

In one awful example the homeowners had to break through their beautifully faux finished wall to create electrified window treatments for their newly installed giant windows. Not fun.

The secret to success: Plan ahead – and if possible, plan both at the same time.

Weddings in War Time -
from Judith Sherven, Ph.D. & Jim Sniechowski, Ph.D.

In response to the war, we see some couples toning down the details and extravagance of their weddings, but most have planned the day months ago and are determined to have it just the way they want. After all, war is a graphic reminder that life can be cut short at any moment.

We continue to predict that the wedding process, from engagement through the first year of marriage, is going to go through a major evolution into a more tempered and sacred espression of the two unique individuals involved, increasingly moving away from old, archaic traditions and "proper" etiquette into more independent, self-respecting events of spiritual significance.

The war, and all that will follow, will only serve to encourage this process, heightening awareness about what is of true value and what is simply for show. The notion that it is the bride's day, with the groom largely a prop in her play, will become more and more obvious as a dangerous beginning to marriage and receive increased rejection as men voice their insistence on having a wedding that represents them both. At that time we can expect to see the divorce rate begin to fall because a level of maturity and full commitment to marriage will become more and more the norm.

Judith Sherven, Ph.D. & Jim Sniechowski, Ph.D.
- authors of BE LOVED FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE

THINGS YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN
MIGHT JUST BE HAPPENING...

THE DICK TRACY WRISTPHONE – Tokyo - A waterproof wristwatch, the phone opens up into a functional PHS handset when buttons on either side of the watch face are pressed. NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced that it will soon begin marketing the WRISTOMO(tm), the world's first commercial wristwatch-style Personal Handyphone System (PHS) mobile phone. The WRISTOMO is compatible with the "PALDIO E-mail" service, which enables users to connect send/receive e-mails up to 6,000 alphanumeric characters via the Internet without having to sign up for a provider.

THE PERSONAL NEWSPAPER – We have seen an early model of a summarizer which can read hundreds of newspapers and summarize stories and also give the differing views of them.
But the computer system is smart and its technology can also provide news from publications and other sources directly about the subjects you are most interested in, and keep refining those interests. More to come on this fascinating project.

Some statistics contained here were provided by surveys sponsored jointly by Nextpert News Network and its strategic research partner, Digital Research, Inc. (DRI). DRI is a full-service marketing research firm, helping business and government leaders to better understand the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of their constituents.

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