BRANDWEEK and MEDIAWEEK both contained an ADWEEK supplement
entitled "1996 Upfront: The Games Begin." One section, "The
Demand Curve," was BRANDWEEK's look at early advertising plans
for some premier marketers.
CREDIT CARDS: Terry Lefton notes Visa will continue to
"spend heavily" this year to leverage its top-tier properties --
Olympics and the NFL. Mastercard acquired its NHL sponsorship
late last year and can be expected to "put more effort" behind it
this year.
ATHLETIC SHOES: Matthew Grimm writes Nike will continue to
spend its $120M-plus on advertising next year, but Reebok may
"slack off" its "standard" $75 million in "direct proportion to
sales declines." Both companies are focusing on property
sponsorships, ownerships and grass-roots sports associations and
are looking for more efficient media, "not simply more media,"
with which to leverage those associations. Fila spots "leverage
a budget well beyond" $50M, and adidas "likely won't break the
$10M mark by much."
SOFT DRINKS: Karen Benezra notes soft drink marketers will
be "scrambling for a piece of the post-Olympic buzz," and they'll
be looking to TV advertising to reinforce major core brand
initiatives. Coca-Cola is expected to draw on its "stable" of
NFL players for a program that this year promises more latitude
for bottlers in local market buys. Pepsi may extend its "Pepsi
Stuff" campaign beyond its October 31 cutoff date
(BRANDWEEK/MEDIAWEEK, 5/27 issue).
