USA TODAY's "Ad Track" notes the most popular and effective
ads of the last six months. Most popular: Bud's frogs, Michelin,
Pepsi, Nike and AmEx. Most effective: McDonald's/Michael Jordan,
Snapple, Taco Bell/Shaq-Hakeem, Windows '95, and Marlboro (USA
TODAY, 11/20)....Shaquille O'Neal's involvement in Universal
City's new "E-Zone" in Orlando means he will not invest in a
downtown Orlando development as anticipated earlier this year
(ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/19)....The U.S. Postal Service will become
the title sponsor of Montgomery Sports' int'l professional
cycling team in '96 (USPS)....Joe Dumars has signed on with Metro
Detroit Ford Dealers as a spokesperson. TV spots featuring
Dumars began this weekend (Ford)....Sunday's WASHINGTON POST
featured a front-page piece on NCAA shoe deals, profiling the
Michigan's deal with Nike and the dependance schools are
beginning to show on shoe and apparel makers (Mark Asher,
WASHINGTON POST, 11/19)....Main Street Marketing has been
licensed to produce AHL phone cards featuring team logos, the
league's 60th anniversary and all-star game. Main Street also
produces cards for the IHL (Baltimore SUN, 11/19)....A
demonstration against Nike's "abuse of workers" in Indonesia was
planned for Friday on Capitol Hill at Nike's Washington office
(THE DAILY).... Schick launched a $22M ad campaign yesterday
during NFL coverage. Ads featured French fashion model Magali
shaving her face (USA TODAY, 11/20)....Shawmut/Fleet took out a
full page ad in Sunday's BOSTON GLOBE congratulating Mo Vaughn on
his AL MVP award and participation in the bank's community
outreach team (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/19)....Chevrolet took out two
full pages in USA TODAY to commend Jeff Gordon on his first
NASCAR Winston Cup Championship (USA TODAY, 11/20).... CBS' Ray
Brady previewed the Christmas retail season. Analyst Alan
Millstein: "This is the toughest year for retailers probably
since the second World War." Brady: "Consumers are tapped out."
Brady also noted the lack of a "hot toy" this year and reported
toy prices are down for the first time in seven years ("CBS
Evening News," 11/17).... "Inside Stuff" profiled Karl Malone's
new line of clothes -- KM Western Wear. One of the models was
former Jazz coach Frank Layden. Layden: "Pat Riley, eat your
heart out" ("Inside Stuff," 11/18)....CNN's Lou Dobbs reported
Nike stock fell 1 3/8 Friday, despite "boosting its quarterly
dividend two-and-a-half cents" ("Moneyline," CNN, 11/17).
