The Promotion Marketing Association (PMA), a nonprofit
trade group, named ESPN as Promotion Marketer of the Year.
The annual award will be presented at The Waldorf Astoria in
N.Y. September 27 (PMA)....In DC, Tom Knott, on Jenny
Thompson's topless photo appearing in SI: "No explanations or
apologies are necessary. She is looking good, feeling good.
She is a picture of strength. ... You have to perform a
series of intricate mental maneuvers to find something wrong
with that message" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/17).
NFL: A "big chunk" of NFL ad inventory that CBS has sold
was bought in a $50M deal that Omnicom's OMD USA "struck on
behalf of several clients." The buy includes "a dozen in-
game Super Bowl units, three pre-game sponsorships and a lot
of regular season inventory." The clients are "believed to
include" PepsiCo, Visa and FedEx (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 8/14
issue)....Miller Lite has become presenting sponsor of
SportsLine.com's fantasy football site, Commissioner.com.
The fantasy football pages will be branded "courtesy of
Miller Lite." The deal includes banner ads and inclusion in
SportsLine.com's multi-media ad and promotional campaign for
fantasy football (SportsLine)....Steelers rookie WR Plaxico
Burress filmed a 30-minute segment for MTV to be aired after
the season. The production, tentatively titled "True Life:
I'm a Rookie in the NFL," is a joint venture between MTV and
NFL Films (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/17).
