USA TODAY's Bruce Horovitz examines MLB's "most heavily
marketed figure this season," Jackie Robinson. Horovitz
notes that "up to $50 million in Robinson merchandise ...
could be snapped up by fans and collectors" (USA TODAY,
2/13)....Toy manufacturer Great Scott, Inc. obtained an NBA
license to manufacture a line of products to be known as
"NBA Toys" (NBA)....Clothing producer VF Corp. intends to
"fold" its 17 businesses into five as part of a plan to cut
costs by $150M per year. Also, VF will "boost" marketing
and research spending by 25%, to $1.25B in the next four
years (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/12)....Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. is planning an "extensive" airing of its new '97
brand and product-specific TV ads during March telecasts of
the NCAA basketball tournament. The campaign is part of an
overall $50M '97 ad plan (AD AGE, 2/12)....K&K Insurance
Group Inc. signed on as the Official Insurance Provider of
the AHL. The deal extends through the '97-98 season and
features the launch of the "AHL K&K Insurance Player Award"
(AHL)....76er Allen Iverson appeared in New York City
yesterday at a party to unveil his new Reebok ad campaign
for his sneaker, "The Question." Iverson, with new cornrow
braids, said as long as he's in the NBA, he would never cut
his hair (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/13).
