MARKETPLACE ROUND-UP

          Serena Williams, who recently signed with Puma, said
     she will have "input" into what she will wear.  Williams: "I
     told them I like the full dresses a little more than the
     skirts, so, it is just -- right now we are working on a lot
     of different designs so we are trying to get something
     together."  Williams said the Puma deal will involve "sports
     and entertainment and we just want to bring something
     different to the game of tennis" (THE DAILY).
          OTHER NOTES: In Miami, Elaine Walker profiled New
     Balance and wrote, "While other athletic shoe manufacturers
     are struggling with stagnating sales, New Balance is riding
     a wave of popularity that has sent sales climbing at a
     double-digit pace" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/26)....Nike "is working"
     to move the March 25 launch of the new Air Jordans from a
     school day to a weekend after complaints from "educators
     nationwide."  The likely new launch date is Saturday, March
     28 (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/26)....ROLLING STONE's Eric
     Boehlert examines the corporate use of contemporary music in
     TV advertising, noting Nike's use of the Verve's "Bitter
     Sweet Symphony."  Boehlert: "Why the mad rush from Madison
     Avenue?  Clients, eager for any sort of marketing edge, want
     the authenticity and star association that hit songs
     deliver."  Levi's Senior Ad Manager Joe Townsend: "If we can
     show kids we're cool, we have a step up."  Boehlert writes
     that the "going rate" for licensing of a "top pop song" is
     $200,000 to $400,000 (ROLLING STONE, 3/19 issue).