American Greetings Wins Awards
tings captured nine awards for outstanding merchandising achievement from the Point-of-Purchase Advertising Institute last month.
The company's winners included two gold medalists, and several displays that have been used in supermarkets.
American Greetings' fixture-producing subsidiary, AG Industries, took home a gold for its multimedia and news information center called Live News Center. Built for supermarkets and large retailers, Live News Center features plastic bins that hold magazines and newspapers for sale, topped by an LED message display that presents headline news, in-store promotions and selected advertising messages.
As a gold-medal winner, Live News Center is now eligible for POPAI's Display of the Year award.
Three of American Greetings' seasonal environment displays that were featured in supermarkets won awards. "Frankie's Castle," which will be available to retailers for Halloween 1994, scared up a silver medal. "Santa's Workshop" and "Up Up and Away," an egg-shaped hot air balloon, received bronze awards.
Sylvania Continues Literacy Push
DANVERS, Mass. -- Osram Sylvania's literacy program, America's Official Reading Time, will continue in 1994 with three new promotions for supermarket retailers.
Chief among Osram Sylvania's promotions is a "bulbs for library books" rebate that enables customers to donate $1 to the school or library of their choice when they purchase any Sylvania halogen bulb.
Osram Sylvania will also offer America's Official Reading Time book bags inside each Sylvania Dulux 23-watt compact fluorescent light bulb. In addition, customers can receive a copy of the Read Aloud Handbook for $5.50 with proof-of-purchase for Sylvania Double Life Soft White bulbs.
Among the leading supermarkets involved in the promotion are Shaw's Supermarkets, Ralphs, Hy-Vee Food Stores, Raley's, DeMoulas/Market Basket and Randall's Food Markets.
Magazines Sell Well for Retailers
NEW YORK -- Dollar sales of magazines at retail grew by more than 54% for the 10 years ended in 1992, from $2.46 billion in 1982 to $3.8 billion in 1992, according to an analysis done by the Council for Periodical Distributors Associations (CPDA) and the Magazine and Paperback Marketing Institute.
Their analysis also showed that, for the same period, unit sales have increased by just under 10%.
Their study was based on a survey of magazine wholesalers in the United States and Canada and reflects sales of both audited and nonaudited publications.
