The '95 Budweiser Water Ski Tour and Wakeboard Series opens
April 29-30 in Orlando.  This is the inaugural year for
Budweiser's sponsorship in the Wakeboard series.  Budweiser has
sponsored the Water Ski Tour since '92.  Following Orlando, the
tour will stop in High Point, NC; Shreveport; Philadelphia;
Hartford; Detroit; Indianapolis; St. Paul; and Portland, OR
before the finals August 26-27 in Seattle.  The Wakeboard series
will take place at every stop except Indianapolis and St. Paul
(Budweiser).

     Nokia, one of the world's leading makers of mobile phones,
announced its decision to participate as a title sponsor in the
'95 FIA Formula One World Championship Season.  As a title
sponsor, Nokia will work in partnership with the Tyrrell Yamaha
organization and will field a team in Formula One competition
around the world under the Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha team name
(Nokia)....Disney announced that it is building its first resort
exclusively for adults and families with older children.  When
the Disney Institute opens next February in Orlando, it will
feature such options as rock climbing, cooking, animation
workshops and golf.  The Institute has signed dozens of artists
and speakers to mingle with guests and perform including
composers John Williams and Elmer Bernstein, jazz pianist Billy
Taylor and athletes Franco Harris and Bruce Jenner (N.Y. TIMES,
3/16).

     The "Cover Story" in this morning's USA TODAY Money section
examines the sponsorships and promotions of America3, the all-
female America's Cup team.  Among the items they have licensed
are a candy bar, coffee, wine and waterproof wallets.  USA
TODAY's Bruce Horovitz writes, "The sponsors and merchandisers
that have "rallied around the all-female team clearly have deemed
America3 one of the biggest marketing stories of the year."  The
team has attracted more than $10M in sponsorship fees from at
least 10 companies, including Chevrolet, Yoplait and L'Oreal.
"Its retail merchandise revenue is blowing other teams out of the
water.  By next week, the crew will be in several TV spots."
Horovitz writes that the team has "something every marketer seeks
but rarely finds:  a gee-whiz factor."  Nine bids are in for a TV
movie about the team.  A book and documentary about the team are
in the works.  The women are talking with several companies about
a fitness video.  A swimsuit calendar was rejected (USA TODAY,
3/16).

     The 17th Annual ranking of the most popular TV ads by New
York-based Video Storyboard Tests was released.  Coca-Cola, with
its polar bear spots, recaptured the top ranking.  Above all, the
survey showed that '94 "was the year of the comeback:  the
resurgence of advertisers that once scored high in the survey but
had lost ground in recent years."  Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light,
AT&T, Miller Lite and the Energizer Bunny all finished in the top
ten after "signs of waning audience interest in the 1993 survey."
The top 15, in order, with last year's ranking in parentheses:


  
 
    
 
      
1
    
    
Coca-Cola
    
 
      
-3
    
    

    
 
      
9
    
    
Nike
    
 
      
-4
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
2
    
    
Little Caesars
    
 
      
-5
    
    
 
      
10
    
    
Taster's 
      Choice
    
 
      
-8
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
3
    
    
Pepsi
    
 
      
-2
    
    
 
      
11
    
    
Pizza Hut
    
 
      
-14
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
4
    
    
McDonald's
    
 
      
-1
    
    
 
      
12
    
    
Budweiser
    
 
      
-6
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
5
    
    
Bud Light
    
 
      
-16
    
    
 
      
13
    
    
Burger 
      King
    
 
      
-15
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
6
    
    
AT&T
    
 
      
-17
    
    
 
      
14
    
    
Ford
    
 
      
-12
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
7
    
    
Miller Lite
    
 
      
-19
    
    
 
      
15
    
    
Diet Coke
    
 
      
(—)
    
  
  
 
    
 
      
8
    
    
Energizer
    
 
      
-13
    
    
 
      
 
    
  


     The survey findings are based on a series of interviews
conducted throughout the year with 20,000 viewers nationwide who
were asked to name the most outstanding TV ad they had seen in
the past four weeks (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/16).