NBA LOOKS TO LOCAL BRANDING TO MAKE GAME A GLOBAL ICON

     The global growth of the NBA is examined in the latest issue
of ADVERTISING AGE.  Since becoming commissioner in '84, David
Stern has added six new franchises, seen merchandise revenue grow
from $10M in '87 to $400M in '95, and made the NBA a global
brand.  But the "most striking" growth has come abroad, according
to AD AGE.  The NBA, with regional management and sales offices
in Mexico City, Toronto, Geneva, Paris, Melbourne, Hong Kong and
Tokyo, "takes a localized branding approach toward becoming a
global icon."  Examples cited:  Mexico's Bimbo bread company will
start in-store promos in May; Kellogg Co. does local NBA promos
in Europe and Asia; and the NBA works with Qantas in Australia.
NBA games air in more than 550 million households in 175
countries and 40 languages.  Stern:  "We have brand equity from
the start" (Jeffrey Zbar, ADVERTISING AGE INTERNATIONAL, 4/96
issue).