The Year in Preview

Marketing: Companies pitching everything from bluejeans to soft drinks will scramble for the key to reaching savvy teenagers, who scorn advertising that many marketers consider state-of-the-art. Marketers will also struggle to reach older consumers, who have the time and discretionary income for computers and vacations. The coming year will shed more light on the role that professional sports will play in marketing. Important companies, notably IBM and Coca-Cola, have balked at paying the high costs of sponsoring sports programming.