GATORADE QUENCHES ITS MARKETING THIRST BEHIND THE NBA

          Quaker Oats' marketing of Gatorade is profiled by Rekha
     Balu of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.  Gatorade President James
     Doyle said the recent renewal of its NBA marketing deal is
     "worth it because (the NBA) is able to deliver our target
     audience."  Balu reports that the NBA deal "could cost
     Gatorade close to" $90M over five years, or $18M a year. 
     The deal includes TV ads -- "about half the package -- whose
     prices are double or more the prior level, and rights fees,
     which also have doubled."  Gatorade will also sponsor local
     teen basketball tournaments "to cultivate younger drinkers." 
     Its 10-year deal with Michael Jordan expires in 2001, and
     Balu writes that once the Jordan deal ends "and sports
     league sponsorships become even more costly, some industry
     people say Gatorade's strategy will no longer involve being
     everywhere, but rather increasingly focusing on select
     partnerships and audiences" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/28).