MONARCHS UTILIZE FULL COURT MARKETING BLITZ TO LURE FANS

          The WNBA Monarchs expect to have a greater presence
     around Sacramento this spring leading up to their June 12
     home opener, including a freeway billboard featuring G
     Ruthie Bolton-Holifield, according to Jon Schumacher of the
     SACRAMENTO BEE.  Last season, the Monarchs "did only a
     modest amount of advertising" before the season began, and
     their average attendance fell from 7,858 to a WNBA-low
     6,578.  As a result, the team promoted Dir of Communications
     Andrea Lepore to Dir of Operations & Communications and gave
     her "the green light to begin a more aggressive marketing
     campaign."  Monarchs execs say that last season they spent
     "a little more" on marketing than the league-mandated
     $200,000.  But this year, the team "could spend twice as
     much as it tries to sell itself to the community."  The team
     this year will send direct mail to 160,000 fans in the
     Sacramento area and to Stanford women's basketball season-
     ticket holders and will run promos on local FM radio (Jon
     Schumacher, SACRAMENTO BEE, 3/15).