The worldwide Z-Card network has appointed Direm Marketing Services as their distributors for India, to market the Z-Card. The Z-Card is a A4 size sheet of paper folded between two plastic coated cards to the size of a credit card. This can be used as a media tool to promote any product or service through printed information. As against bulky brochures and pamphlets, the Z-Card offers the advantage of convenience to customers. Internationally, companies like Coca-Cola, Visa, AT&T, Compaq, IBM and British Airways have been using this medium for product promotion, consumer instructions, pocket guides for maps, direct mailers, and pocket planners among others. In India, Direm has introduced the Z-Card to some organisations like Jet Airways, Glaxo, Standard Charted Bank, ICICI and Eveready Industries amongst others.

DM Pakitwala launches Pentium-II range of school bags: Does the Pentium II brand name ring any bells other than Intel? For the uninitiated,school-bag manufacturer, DM Pakitwala has launched the `Pentium II' range of school bags in the market recently. Based in Mumbai, the company has joined the ranks of those, who, try to cash in on the popularity of successful brands name, so what if the products are highly unrelated. The `Pentium II' range offers 105 designs to the market. The KG bags are priced at Rs 95 to Rs 195, while the school and college bags are priced in the range of Rs 147 to Rs 417.

Easycall introduces `Easy mobile package': EasyCall, the paging and messaging-service network, has introduced the EasyMobile Package in the domestic market. The service will be initially available in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Pune, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The EasyMobile Package offers Mobile phone subscribers the benefit of reducing their air time costs by as much as 40 per cent, using EasyCall paging for taking incoming calls. The company is touting this as a superior alternative to voice mail service which isrestricted to taking spoken messages only.

Classic range of Tarkett floorings: Tarkett Logistik AB is test marketing Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) floorings in the Indian market. Available in various colours, thickness and range PVC floorings are priced in the range of Rs 50 to Rs 150. The product, however, will be launched only after the budget announcement as the import duty on it is expected to come down. The company has also added three varieties to its ready-to-use hardwood flooring range viz Design Floor, Oak Chestnut and Basket Weave. Priced in the Rs 250 to Rs 500 range, the new products are 2525 mm long and 188 mm wide planks.

Singapore Tourism bags award: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has added another feather in its cap by winning the Best Destination Marketing Trophy in TravelAsia's 1998 Breakthrough Award. TravelAsia' Breakthrough Awards are given to outstanding performers in the travel and tourism industry. Incidentally this is STB's seventh international award this year. Thewinners are nominated by TravelAsia readers and then judged by a panel of travel-industry leaders.

Parker unveils Vector Fine Nib Fountain Pens: Close on the heels of launching Parker Quink cartridges in the country, Luxor Writing Instruments have launched the Vector Fine Nib Fountain Pens by Parker. Designed to avoid the problem of blotting on coarse paper, the Vector Fine Nib Fountain Pens will be available at all leading stationery outlets and department stores across the country. The Vector Fine Nib Fountain Pens are priced in the range of Rs 80 for the standard finish ones, Rs 245 for the stainless steel finish ones and Rs 300 for the Matte black finish ones.