The NBA said yesterday that it "has stopped Kellogg
from issuing" a Corn Flakes box featuring the NBA champion
Bulls on its front because Michael Jordan is a spokesperson
for General Mills' Wheaties, according to Lee Egerstrom of
the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Earlier this month, the NBA and
Kellogg announced an agreement naming Kellogg the NBA's
breakfast-food sponsor and the "plan" was for Kellogg to
manufacture a Corn Flakes box featuring the NBA champs,
whoever it happened to be. But Egerstrom reports that the
NBA decided against the Corn Flakes box, "apparently to
avoid possible legal battles" with General Mills. General
Mills spokesperson David Dix said the company has not had
contact with either Kellogg or the league. Egerstrom adds
that the loss of a Bulls' Corn Flakes box could cost Kellogg
"as much as" $6.25M in lost sales (PIONEER PRESS, 6/18).
THE BASS MAN: General Mills will manufacture more than
two million Wheaties boxes featuring the winner of the Bass
fishing Forrest L. Wood Tour, ending today in CT. The boxes
will be available in stores in October (USA TODAY, 6/18).
AIR QUALITY: CA-based ad agency Spencer Communications
will pay an unspecified amount to settle a lawsuit over a
magazine ad for NC-based Fountain Powerboats, which mentions
Michael Jordan, according to a court document. Agents for
Jordan "demanded" $1M, saying the advertisement "constituted
trademark infringement and diluted the value of Jordan's
name" (AP/Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 6/18)....Larry Miller,
the newly named President of Nike's Jordan Brand division,
will oversee the transition of the brand into a separate
unit by August 1. The line projects $350M in gross revenue
in '98. Miller said that he did not have specifics of new
product development, the orientation of the new company or
any additional hiring (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/18).
