FL-based Champs Sports has retained Towne Silverstein
Rotter, N.Y., to handle its ad account. Spending on the
account, which had been at Publicis, N.Y., was put at $12M
(N.Y. TIMES, 6/14)....BRANDWEEK's Terry Lefton profiles Nike
Team Sports (NTS) as part of the magazine's "Licensing 2000
The Ones To Watch" section. Lefton: "A year in, NTS gets
better than passing grades." Champs VP/Marketing Ian Gomar:
"Coming from where they did, they are swimming upstream a
little, but I think they are figuring it out. Very few
people realize how complex a business licensing has become,
because of the regionalization and chase aspects of the
business. But they are committed and they've already come a
long way." Lefton adds that "for now, top Nike execs don't
expect profitability from NTS as much as a better return on
the huge investments they've made in getting the swoosh on
field" (BRANDWEEK, 6/12)....In NC, Monte Dutton writes that
Michael Holigan, whose MichaelHoligan.com sponsors Jerry
Nadeau on the Winston Cup circuit, "wants to be a NASCAR
owner." Holigan: "With NASCAR's new TV deal, I can already
see that we'll be getting a return on our investment. I
predict that, before the end of my three-year sponsorship, I
will start a two-car team" (GASTON GAZETTE, 6/14).....CA-
based dj Orthopedics, a manufacturer and marketer of
orthopedic support products, signed a marketing agreement
with Jaguars QB Mark Brunell (dj Orthopedics).
