Two articles by MarketingVox contain golden nuggets and some useful links for youth marketers.

1. How To: Tips for Targeting Tweens

2. Tweens Favor the Net, Need Search to Shop

According to the July 30 e-newsletter from Travel Weekly, a WWII era bomb was found by construction workers in Wroclaw, Poland which forced the evacuation of Hotel Wroclaw. 

Wroclaw was the battleground for Soviet Red Army and Nazi forces in 1945.  The newly uncovered 330 lb. bomb has a blast radius of 4,000 feet – now how could that have been misplaced for over sixty years!?!?

Appalachian Trail (AT) Backpacking Trip along NY/NJ border from Harriman St. Park border (NY Rte 17) to Warwick Mountain (NY Rte 94).  Here are some photos.

Day 1 – 10 miles – begin at Rte 17 and head south on AT, mainly on Sterling Forest property.  Climb ‘Agony Grind.’  Tons of blueberrys on top of the mountain.  A few scramble ups/downs.  Lots of blue tailed skinks and tiny frogs on the trail.  Probably the toughest section of AT in the area I’ve seen.  Some lovely views and trails along the ridge.  Nice water fall near Lakes Road (close enough for non-hikers to access).  Then up last grind to Wildcat Shelter for the night.  A spring (complete with frog) for drinking water and a privy for comfort.  After ramen noodle dinner, listened to owls chatting all night.

Day 2 – 12 miles – Climb up to ‘cat rocks’ pudding stone conglomerate strata cut smooth by the last glacier.  Views of Greenwood Lake as continue south along ridge.  Several streams, of course the one we ate lunch at (and refilled water bottles) was brown with tannins from the hemlocks.  Again, a frog in our water supply greeted us as we pumped the filter.  Today’s wild life included deer, turkey vultures, a turtle and bear skat.  Slept at Wawayand Shelter in the state park.  Food in metal bear boxes for the night but no trouble from the rascals.  Bonus: Ranger station had a real bathroom and faucet for water.  Didn’t sleep in the shelter chose to sleep under a tarp instead - and thunderstorms began around 3am.  Once the thunder and lightning stopped, slept well to the sound of the rain.

Day 3 – 6 miles – Slow to hit the trail today due to everything being wet and body being tired.  Another breakfast of instant oatmeal and instant coffee.  How to AT thru-hikers deal with monotony of light/cheap food choices?  Some nice pond views and stream crossings.  Tony saw a bobcat track in the mud and I saw a woodpecker and a pair of grouse take wing into the brush.  The last few miles contained some steep ups/downs that had rocks placed like steps to reduce erosion.  The stairs and roots were slick from the rain – luckily no one took a spill (always a bad idea with a 34 lb. pack on).  Less than a mile from Rte 94 trail tops out at Pinwheel’s Vista on Wawayanda Mountain.  Magnificant view of Vernon Valley and Kittatany Ridge.  Last lunch of pepperoni, granola bars and a fruit cup.  Stone stair steps all the way down for the next 3/4 mile.  Last sip of stream water at the car before heading home.

Resources: Maps from NY/NJ Trail Conference and AT Trail Guide for NY/NJ (NY Sections 12 & 13 and NJ Section 1)

Here’s a way to increase travel/tourism and boost the economy…

Americans leave 460 million vacation days UNUSED according to an annual Expedia survey.  How about we convince these stressed out folks in the US to take a day off (or 460 million of them)?

As if we have to ask, why is it that Americans take and use fewer vacation days than anyone else in the world?  Work stress and responsibility says Expedia.

The average US worker receives 14 vacation days.  Who gets the most time off?  France beats all with 37 days!  Bon jour indeed!  How do they even remember their work passwords or where their desks are??? 

In a post the other day, I quoted MediaWeek – magazine “titles that offer engaged readers…and effectiveness reach…continue to beat the odds” and grow during this market downturn.

Today, e.Marketer.com showed numbers along these lines and said, ”online sports properties have the perfect ingredients to engender the kind of customer engagement that all businesses crave. ”

Sports “fans have an insatiable thirst for facts, figures, statistics and trivia—and they like to share their knowledge and opinions with others” and they ”are used to the presence of sponsors and advertisers around sports events. ”

Engaged readers.  Effective advertising space.

Many new mountain biking areas have been opened. However, access to trails for biking can be problematic and remains an important issue. 

A Penn State Dept. of Recreation, Park & Tourism Mgmt. questionnaire asks your opinion about mountain biking and access to trails for mountain biking. 

Survey will take about 15 minutes of your time…. Survey on mountain bike access by Penn State.

SportsOneSource.com reported today that the European Outdoor (trade) Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany had a 12% increase in attendance.  Most trade shows these days are experiencing a decline in attendence.  To me, this increase again confirms the increase in sales noted by OIA in my post from the other day.

Last week, SportsOneSource also reported this related tidbit on VF Corp: “Total revenues in its outdoor segment, which includes The North Face, Jansport, Vans and Reef, rose 17% with double-digit growth in both our domestic and international businesses.”

On a side note, it’s always interesting to look at the types of exhibitors at shows in other countries.  In Friedrichshafen, for example, in Hall A3 and Hall B1 are companies listed with the specialty of  ”impregnating.”  

• Entertainment/Celebrity -5.7%  
• Fashion/Beauty – 4.4%
• Food/Epicurean -8.0%
• Mens Lifestyle/Fitness/Outdoor -0.71%
• Enthusiast/Sports -10.7% 

• Backpacker -0.3%
• Bicycling 1.6%
• Golf Magazine 0.2%
• Golf World 4.0%
• Runners World 5.8%
• Sailing World 3.8%  
• Travel + Leisure Golf 3.9%

• Backpacker 1.9%
• Bicycling 8.1%
• Golf Magazine 5.7%  
• Runners World 4.8%
• Sailing World 24.4%
• Travel + Leisure Golf 30.0% 

An article in today’s Modern Agent confirms my recent observation that less people were on the beach during my vacation.  Modern Agent says, general travel spending expectations are “depressed, with 29.8 percent saying they will spend less for leisure in the next 12 months, a figure that has more than doubled from just six months prior. In the past 12 months, nearly one-in-four (23.6 percent) say they have taken a “staycation” — a vacation spent at home — in response to gasoline prices. 28.5 percent of survey respondents said they plan to take a staycation in the next 12 months.”

Today’s Chief Marketer e-newsletter says Steve & Barry’s is Chapter 11 for six reasons….

1. no advertising

2. no e-commerce

3. store expansions to quick

4. too much inventory

5. too many licensing deals

6. out of touch with consumers