S.C. Johnson & Son's Edge shaving gel is sponsoring the Pro
Football Preview area of ESPNET SportsZone. The site features
game predictions, commentary, a slang dictionary and Edge quiz
(AD AGE ONLINE, 1/5)....According to numbers released by the
Consumer Electronics Show, DBS sales were up 41% to $1.3B in '95,
but video-game hardware sales were down 5% to $1.5B (USA TODAY,
1/5)....Bally Entertainment Corp. of Chicago will complete the
spinoff of its Total Fitness Holding Corp. unit with a January 9
distribution of Bally Total Fitness shares (WALL STREET JOURNAL,
1/5)....Del Wilber + Associates has acquired the Ice Capades from
Int'l Family Entertainment (DWA)....Ocean Spray is offering
$143,000 in scholarships, awards and grants for high school and
outstanding female athletes through its WAVE program (Ocean
Spray)....Fans attending the '96 NBA All Star Jam Session will
receive a commemorative ticket which resembles a Fleer NBA
basketball card. Tickets for the event go on sale Monday at all
Ticketmaster outlets (NBA)....Mobil Corp. and Porsche AG
announced an agreement to partner in auto racing, research and
development, and advertising and marketing activities
(Mobil)....Coca-Cola's "Taste of the NFL V" will feature a top
chef and former NFL player from each NFL city preparing food and
wine at a charity gala. The $300-a-plate fund-raiser will
benefit hunger-relief, with 50% of proceeds going to Phoenix-area
agencies (Coca-Cola)....The current ADWEEK calls the FL Panthers
latest campaign "genuinely funny." The campaign features a
retro-theme dentist performing a procedure on a Panther player so
tough he refuses anesthesia, with another spot telling fans its
easier to pass a Kidney stone than slip a puck past goalie John
Vanbiesbrouk (ADWEEK, 1/1 issue)....USA TODAY's Mike Hiestand
notes that Michael Jordan's current standing in sixth place
overall in All Star voting could be "An omen of Michael Jordan's
marketing momentum" (USA TODAY, 1/5). ....Investment bank Goldman
Sachs Co. is negotiating to buy bowling equipment manufacturer
and bowling center owner AMF Corp. for as much as $1B (N.Y.
TIMES, 1/5).
