LET'S TALK: SPORTS FORUM DISCUSSES COLLEGE FOOTBALL

     The first annual College Sports Magazine Forum brought
together "top marketing and media execs" from DirecTV, ESPN, GM's
Oldsmobile, Gillette, Grey Advertising and Nike last month in New
York, according to Jeff Jensen of AD AGE.  Jensen notes "on one
side" the likes of ESPN and GM believe universities need to
create a "more efficient and reliable structure" to market their
football properties, while "on the other side" marketers like
Gillette and Nike, which have "made the best of the current
system," think any change may lead to "over-commercialization."
Jensen writes "ideally," marketers want to see a "single entity,
offering one-stop shopping to all universities."  They also want
to see the sport "branded and packaged in a more marketable and
effective fashion."  As it is now, marketers "have to deal" with
each university, or go through various entities representing a
single conference.  Marketers also "go to" Collegiate Licensing,
which handles the logo licensing of most major schools
(ADVERTISING AGE, 10/7 issue).