BRANDWEEK NOTES: Terry Lefton reports that Service
Merchandise will be the presenting sponsor for MLB's Home
Run Derby during the All-Star Break, airing July 6 on ESPN.
Service Merchandise's "foray into sports" is being run by
new marketing exec Chuck Kremers, who led True Value into
MLB, NASCAR and NFL sponsorships....Dorothy Hamill, Nancy
Kerrigan and Nicole Bobek will appear in a print campaign
for Aetna/U.S. Healthcare breaking this spring. It will
promote heart health and warn about the high incidence of
heart problems among women....While Bell Atlantic recently
inked a sponsorship pact with the Atlantic 10 Conference,
the company could not come to terms on a proposal to rename
it the Bell Atlantic 10. The deal "would have cost two to
three times the mid-six-figure deal" that was consummated,
and the A-10 would have "become the first conference to sell
its name"....Hershey has signed a two-year sponsorship deal
with Strike Ten that gets it sponsorship of the National
Family Bowling Tournament, access to the association's 6,000
bowling centers and promotional rights (BRANDWEEK, 3/23).
NOTES: The WNBA's inaugural season "won gold" in the
sports and entertainment category at the American Marketing
Association's Edison Awards (AD AGE, 3/23 issue)....UT men's
basketball coach Rick Majerus signed an exclusive rep
agreement with IL-based Intersport Management for contract
negotiations, endorsements and appearances (Intersport).
...In N.Y., Richard Wilner notes a source who said that
Cablevision, which bought electronics chain Nobody Beats the
Wiz, will renovate the stores and decorate the interiors
with "classic" MSG sports photos (N.Y. POST, 3/24).
