REEBOK DEAL POSITIONS IVERSON AMONG MARKETING ARISTOCRACY

          Reebok's estimated $40M marketing deal with 76er Allen
     Iverson positions him "as one the NBA's marketing elite,"
     according to Michael Hiestand in USA TODAY.  Iverson is just
     the third NBA player to get a Reebok signature shoe, "The
     Question," and he is the first athlete to "get Reebok
     involved in his overall packaging."  Reebok's Que Gaskins is
     a "full-time handler" for Iverson.  Reebok Marketer Jo
     Harlow says that Iverson's conviction at the age of 18 in
     Virginia on three felony counts of mob violence did not
     "merit particular focus" in consumer research.  Harlow: "The
     (fan) reaction when he played at Georgetown was enough of a
     focus group. ...We see Allen as our direct connection to
     what we see as the heartbeat of the athletic footwear
     industry, 12- to 17-year-old males."  Former Reebok Exec
     Roberto Mueller "suggests" Reebok will need to sell as many
     as two million pairs at $100 each to break even on the
     Iverson line of shoes (USA TODAY, 11/26).