The Indianapolis Motor Speedway named Canon U.S.A. the
official camera of the Indy 500 and the Pep Boys IRL. Canon
photo products in 35mm, APS and digital still formats were
designated with official status (IMS)....In N.Y., Peter
Vecsey reports that Jazz Owner Larry Miller "does not
appreciate Greg Ostertag and Jacque Vaughn doing commercials
for a rival car dealership in Salt Lake City." Miller:
"It's a flat-out slap in the face. I feel like grabbing
these guys by a combination of their collars and necks and
slapping them a time or two and asking them to wake up,
think about what's going on here" (N.Y. POST, 5/19)....AD
AGE's James Brady reports that former Topps Dir of PR Marty
Appel has formed his own NY-based PR company, "with Topps
already on board as a charter client" (AD AGE, 5/18 issue).
...Swiss sports-watch maker Tag Heuer will launch a $45M
world-wide ad campaign this June featuring athletes such as
Grant Hill and Boris Becker (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/19).
...In IN, Nelson Price reports that since the Colts traded
fan-favorite QB Jim Harbaugh, demand for his merchandise has
declined. IN-based Logo-7 said sales of Harbaugh/Colts
merchandise dropped to $157,000 in '97, down from the
$272,000 in sales in '96. Logo-7 VP/Marketing Eddie White:
"The movement of popular players between cities has become a
pitfall of our business. The days of a guy sticking with
one team for his entire career are gone, expect for a few
dinosaurs" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR-NEWS, 5/19).
