With their national TV exposure during the World
Series, adidas' "quintet of shirtless wonders are nearly as
famous for their stripped-to-the-waist fanaticism" of the
Yankees as the Yankees themselves, according to Richard
Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Leagas Delaney's Scott Wild,
the campaign's copywriter, on the casting of the "YANKS"
guys: "It was big, meaty and sweaty. We probably saw 80
fleshy bodies." While the ads "are so removed from selling
products that they could be mistaken for a pure Yankee
campaign," Sandomir notes that adidas, "recognizing the
spot's appeal," is selling T-shirts with the phrase, "What
the hell is ANSKY?" adidas spokesperson Travis Gonzolez:
"We expected a reaction, but not this much." To date,
Yankees Ps David Cone and Hideki Irabu have appeared in the
campaign, but Sandomir notes that next year's spots may
include appearances from other team members who wear adidas
shoes, including Orlando Hernandez, Ricky Ledee, Shane
Spencer and Ramiro Mendoza (N.Y. TIMES, 10/23).
MOST VALUABLE PITCHMAN? The WALL STREET JOURNAL looks
at the endorsement potential for World Series MVP Scott
Brosius. Agent Robert Cohen, who reps Mark McGwire, said
the MVP award will have a "special allure" to advertisers,
but "it won't last." Cohen: "The negative is that once the
World Series is over, it's not topical. People's minds turn
to football [and the holidays] (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/23).
...ALCS MVP David Wells will be a guest on tonight's "Late
Show" with David Letterman on CBS (USA TODAY, 10/23).
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: Derek Jeter, David Wells and
Bernie Williams will grace the front of a limited-edition
Yankees Wheaties box, which will be available in N.Y. next
week. The back of the box features Jeter, Williams, Paul
O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and
David Cone, and has a summary of the team's season in
English and Spanish (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/23).
