That's the question Greg Burns poses in this week's BUSINESS
WEEK.  The answer: "It can, but not right away.  Quaker will pay
dearly for a company whose profits dropped 74% in the third
quarter. ... Shoring up Gatorade and Snapple, both top brands
with declining market shares, probably will cost big bucks and
take more time than Quaker admits."  Distribution will "make or
break the acquisition."  Quaker sells most Gatorade in
supermarkets and convenience stores, while Snapple "made it big
with cold, single-service glass bottles through vending machines,
restaurants, and independent retailers."  Quaker needs to
convince Snapple's 300-plus distributors to carry Gatorade.  It
also needs to renegotiate their "exclusive-territory agreements
to bring Snapple into supermarkets on grocery wholesaler trucks."
Two things to looks for:  Snapple overseas and Snapple in plastic
bottles (BUSINESS WEEK, 11/14 issue).  Salomon Brothers analyst
Les Pugh "notes that the Snapple merger does little to boost
Gatorade's strength outside America" (THE ECONOMIST, 11/5 issue).
Documents filed by Snapple after Quaker's $1.7B bid for it late
last week showed that Snapple "has cut its internal earnings
projections for the rest of the year, seemingly indicating a
continuation of problems that hurt Snapple's summer performance"
(Gibson/Grossman, WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/7).

     Kinney Shoe has decided to drop the footwear line, In The
Zone or ITZ, "created specially" for its Foot Locker retail
chain, "in effect conceding failure in its attempt to
unilaterally fill a perceived void in the second tier of the
athletic footwear market."  The move frees up shelf space for
"traditional vendors," as 2nd-tier players such as Fila, Converse
and Adidas "heat up the battle" for No. 3.  ITZ "suffered a blow
to its marketing plans with the December car accident that nearly
took the life of its NBA endorser Bobby Hurley" (Eric Hollreiser,
BRANDWEEK, 11/7 issue).

     The repercussions of George Foreman's victory over Michael
Moorer for the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles were felt in the
worlds of cable TV and marketing.  HBO will benefit from the
Foreman victory because Foreman "produces huge ratings."  HBO
Exec Producer Ross Greenburg: "The public is not going to care
who George fights.  He can pick and choose who he wants and wait
for (Mike) Tyson" (Bob Raissman, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/6).  On
ESPN, Al Bernstein said a Tyson-Foreman matchup was unlikely due
to Foreman's age by the time Tyson is out of prison and ready to
fight again ("SportsCenter," 11/6).  As for Foreman's marketing
appeal, Diana Henriques reports that his victory "may be enough
to lift the new heavyweight champion of boxing into stardom in
the lucrative business of celebrity endorsements."  Nova
Lanktree, president of Lanktree Sports Celebrity Network: "Just
think of the symbolism of this victory -- at 45 years of age.
That has a huge appeal to baby boomers.  I would be very
surprised if he doesn't hit the market now with a tremendous
impact."  Henriques notes, "there are caveats:  Madison Avenue
doesn't usually consider boxing as a mainstream sport.  Moreover,
the buyers of celebrity endorsements have grown nervous in recent
years as devastating scandals have engulfed several popular
icons" --Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson.  Even
before his victory, Foreman had garnered "several substantial
regional and national endorsement contracts," like Nike, Doritos
and Meineke.  But with title belts, he becomes a "major contender
in the booming 'graying athlete' division of the celebrity
endorsement industry," joining Jimmy Connors and Nolan Ryan.  And
Foreman's personal life "seems exemplary," which could give
Foreman "extra post-victory appeal," because he seems "more safe"
(N.Y. TIMES, 11/7).

     Eastman Kodak has extended its "long-standing" official
sponsorship of the NFL, recently signing a 2-year deal to
continue as the NFL's official film.  Kodak beat out rival Fuji
in signing the agreement.  NFL Properties VP/Marketing Jim
Schwebel: "It's important that we give our incumbents every
opportunity to re-sign" (BRANDWEEK, 11/7 issue).

     Hershey will again sponsor the Reese's International
Gymnastics Cup, held for the first time last year.  The event
will take place January 25, and be televised on ABC March 11
(BRANDWEEK, 11/7 issue)....During the Knicks-Celtics opening
game, the Celtics wives presented the American Cancer Society and
the New England Baptist Hospital each with $90,000 checks
(Celtics)....The third annual Jerome Brown Foundation's Reception
and Celebrity Auction took place last Friday.  Since its
inception in '92, the Foundation has raised more than $200,000 to
benefit underprivileged children (Brown Foundation)....Some of
Canada's top curlers are seeking a more aggressive players'
association to give them a greater say in their sports and bigger
share of its growing revenues.  The players and the sport's
governing body, the Canadian Curling Association, have been
"feuding since last year over whether competitors should be
allowed to wear their sponsors' corporate logos at the Brier"
(EDMONTON JOURNAL, 11/5)....Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Consumer
Products division has moved its $6-8M account from Earle Palmer
Brown to Butler, Shine & Stern.  Disney is relaunching the
campaign for five brands of products, ranging from infant toys to
sporting goods (AD AGE, 11/7 issue)....."60 Minutes" ran a story
on the infiltration of American culture in France.  One French
teenager:  "When you go in the school, you can see all the young
people with Nike and Reebok shoes because it's the way to be in"
(CBS, 11/6)....Japan Airlines offers a $600 putter for sale to
its int'l customers made of titanium.  The metal comes from
recycled Boeing 747 fan engine blades (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH,
11/7).... Nike is helping with the promotion of the movie "Hoop
Dreams."  Nike is paying for radio promotions in the top 10
national markets as well as lending its logo to print and movie
ads (N.Y. TIMES, 11/7).... Bullets forward DON MCLEAN missed the
first two games of the season due to a severe blister on his
foot.  McLean signed a shoe deal with Adidas after winning the
NBA's Most Improved Player Award last season, switching from
Nike. McLean is reportedly uncomfortable with the new Adidas
footwear, and will go back to wearing Nike's while returning his
contract money to Adidas (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/5).

     The NBA is tipping off its season with "accelerated
marketing efforts for its own 'brand,' marked by a $5 million-
plus ad campaign for its 125 licensees."  The campaign is the
league's first "season-long consumer promotion" and features the
league's first "partner effort" with Visa.  Running through '94-
95, the "first-ever all-license support campaign and promo
initiates a continuity program tying in Visa and the array of NBA
licensed products sold at 500 Champs stores nationwide."
Shoppers purchasing $100 of NBA licensed goods at Champs with
Visa will receive an NBA gift bag containing an NBA Fan Guide, a
poster and a CBS/Fox NBA Video.  The NFL has had similar programs
for the past four years and similar recent NFL promos linking
Logo 7, Footlocker and American Express yielded a 9% sales bump.
Visa has "long been coveted by the NBA as an official sponsor."
Sources from both Visa and the NBA said this promotion was a
"trial run" (Terry Lefton, BRANDWEEK, 11/7).

     "Not only has the team on the floor gotten hotter, so has
the Denver Nuggets' year-old logo and color scheme."  The new
look is "making a run among the garb" of the NBA's other teams.
Before unveiling their new logo, the Nuggets were near the bottom
of sales of NBA licensed merchandise at No. 19.  After their
playoff run last year, the Nuggets have "jumped" to 16.  NBA
Marketing Communications Manager Jon Stern: "With their talent
and the excitement they've generated, I'd expect their sales will
go even higher" (Chance Conner, DENVER POST, 11/4).

     After several years of "dabbling in foreign markets, two of
the major cardmakers have decided to make a big push."  Upper
Deck unveiled the first Japanese-language NBA trading cards at
the Blazers-Clippers Friday night in Yokohama.  Fans attending
either the Friday or Saturday game at Yokohama Arena received a
3-pack of "Collector's Choice" cards, with the promise of a full
210-card series available at retail stores in late December.
Meanwhile, Skybox and the NBA will announce the licensing in
Australia and New Zealand of all NBA trading cards produced by
Skybox.  Plans are being made for the release of SkyBox Premium
cards through distributors in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and New
Zealand.  Upper Deck basketball will also be available in
Australia, marking the first time that two U.S. cardmakers will
go "head-to-head" on other continents.  Upper Deck is also
planning to produce NBA cards in German, French, Spanish and
Italian for distribution in European markets, Mexico and Canada
(Norm Cohen, N.Y. NEWSDAY, 11/5).