START AT THE BEGINNING
GiftPax Sampling LLC, Milford, NJ, has teamed with Atlanta-based Lifestyle Change Communications to offer two sampling programs. The New Mother GiftPax will reach about 3.6 million new moms within 48 hours of the baby’s birth through a network of 3,900 hospitals. The Mom-to-Be GiftPax targets more than two million expectant mothers in their third trimester through 7,000 private OB/GYN offices. Featured products and offers run the gamut from baby goods to credit cards and life insurance. More info: 770-218-8200 or www.lifestylechange.com.
LIFT OFF
Tired of lugging around that metal-pipe display? You are? (Really?) Ad Box, Hermosa Beach, CA, offers Big Fabric, a collapsible frame that can be unpacked and set up in minutes to cover a display area between 35 feet and 100 feet. The entire contraption weighs no more than 30 pounds. Clients such as Coca-Cola, Infiniti, and Lipton Ice Tea are using the product in both the U.S. and abroad. More info: 310-798-8810 or www.adbox.com.
ROUGHING IT
Vacation Connection, Montclair, NJ, this month introduces the Outdoor Adventure Gift Pack, a cooperative sampling program that will be distributed to more than 1.5 million consumers visiting U.S. national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Acadia. The packs will offer products such as energy bars, snacks, and health and beauty aids relevant to a day in the wild, and will be delivered through hotels, resorts, and condominiums near the parks. More info: 973-992-7800 or www.vacationsampling.com.
KEEPING TABS
Trade Dimensions, Wilton, CT, tracks taps with the On-Premise Database, which monitors sales through outlets where liquor, wine, and beer are consumed. The company recently added 270,000 additional establishments to the database, bringing the total to more than 600,000. More info: 203-563-3000 or www.tradedimensions.com.
DRUGSTORE COWBOYS
In-store promotion specialist Promo Edge, Elk Grove Village, IL, has unveiled RxEdge, a new direct-to-consumer marketing program that places information dispensers for pharmaceutical products in the over-the-counter section of drug stores. The program can reach up to 150 million consumers through 8,000-plus retail outlets. More info: 847-437-5300 or www.promoedge.com.
THE LATEST CRYSTAL BALL
Chicago-based Information Resources, Inc. rolled out Mix Planner, software that offers marketing planning and sales forecasting for established brands. Product managers can enter different combinations of marketing activities to generate sales forecasts for up to 12 months. Real sales results can be tracked via quarterly updates. More info: 312-474-3384 or www.infores.com.
PLAYING WITH FOOD
Neat Solutions, Inc., Huntersville, NC, now offers the Table Topper Stay-in-Place Mat, which lets consumers digest brand messages while stuffing their faces. The self-adhesive mat is sold to restaurants and malls, as well as direct to consumers through grocers, drug stores, mass merchandisers, and catalogs. Kids marketers One Step Ahead and Gymboree already have put their names on the mats. More info: 704-895-3430 or www.tabletopper.com.
TASTE BUDDIES
Bridgewater, NJ-based Gourmet Essentials, a food marketing specialist, teamed with Largo, FL-based Cox Target Media’s Valpak direct-mail program in March to test a co-op mailer targeting heavy users of premium food and wines. Manufacturers can even pinpoint specific retail locations in mailing areas. Gourmet Essentials will deliver three inserts in 2002: A Taste of Summer in June, Italian Festival in September, and Holiday Delights in November. (GWP, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ, handles creative.) More info: 908-595-1156 or www.wholehealthconcept.com.
COLOR YOUR WORLD
Pantone, Inc., Carlstadt, NJ, is making life easier for graphics specialists with the Pantone Color Cue, a device that can identify the closest Pantone color (the internationally recognized industry standard) of any flat surface. Users just push a button on the flashlight-sized device to identify color schemes and generate ink, lab, and HTML formulas for reproduction. A standard nine-volt battery powers the device. More info: 201-935-5500 or www.pantone.com.