Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Mar 17 1992 Date: Tue, 17 Mar 92 05:44:53 EST Message-ID: 03-17 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update Mar. 17, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SKATER LACKS ENDORSEMENTS: Gold medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi has not picked up any endorsements since the Winter Olympics and numerous newspaper stories and broadcast reports suggest that she is missing out because of her Japanese-American heritage. The theory is that the Fremont, Calif., native is a victim of Japan-bashing. Sports agent Kevin Albrecht, who represents Yamaguchi, says it's not so. (For more, see special Yamaguchi package below.) CHRYSLER LOSES SPOKESMAN: Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca's blunt-talking television commercials are about to come to an end. Iacocca said Monday he will soon make his final Chrysler Corp. commercial and has no plans to continue pitching for the automaker after he retires on Dec. 31. Chrysler's next chairman, Robert J. Eaton says he doesn't have Iacocca's appeal and won't replace him in front of the cameras. CHRYSLER DOESN'T NEED IACOCCA: Advertising analysts say it is time for Iacocca to turn away from the camera. "It's time for Lee to ride off into the sunset," says Jack Trout, of Trout & Ries marketing consultants in New York. "In the early days, he had more of a reason to be there. But now it's time to let the product be the star because that's what's going to make or break Chrysler." RJR LAUNCHES BRAND EXTENSION: To boost sagging Winston sales, RJR Tobacco will launch Winston Select in May. Ads will be aimed at men and women in their 20s and 30s, especially those who now smoke Philip Morris' top-selling brand, Marlboro. RJR will promote Select in a $35 million ad campaign. Trone Advertising of Greensboro, N.C., which introduced Camel's Old Joe character for RJR, will create Select's image. `POWERS' PULLS IN VIEWERS: NBC's new comedy, "The Powers That Be," won its 8:30 p.m. EST:PST time period for the second time Saturday night, luring about the same number of viewers as last week's premiere. Some critics have knocked the Norman Lear comedy, saying they see a mean-spiritedness about the show, which is a satire about Sen. Powers (John Forsythe) and his family. NEW TALK SHOW DEBUTS IN N.Y.: Jane Pratt, the 29-year-old editor of Sassy magazine, is the host of her own TV talk show, "Jane," which debuted Monday in New York. The show will have a 13-week trial on Fox, and Pratt hopes it will eventually go national. Pratt had been a guest on talk shows and felt "really comfortable with it." Michael Stipe of R.E.M., who sometimes dates Pratt, wrote "Jane's" theme song. `20:20' GETS HIGH RATINGS: Friday's "20:20" on ABC, which featured ABC's "Good Morning America" co-host Joan Lunden slamming tabloids over coverage of her divorce, was the newsmagazine's second-highest rated show since April 5, 1991, when "20:20" did a segment on exorcism. It was also the third week in a row that "20:20" drew more than 30% of available viewers. COORS LIGHT HELPS AMERICA3: Coors Light has teamed up with America3, a 1992 America's Cup contender, to help finance the boat and mobilize public support for the effort. In addition to a donation, Coors Light is running a unique national advertising campaign on behalf of the foundation to help solicit other private donations. A sweepstakes winner will be selected to actually ride aboard America3 during a cup race. FOX RATINGS IMPROVE: Officials at Fox point out they were the only television network whose ratings on Saturday improved over the previous week. Fox moved up to second behind NBC for the evening. Saturday's 8 p.m. EST:PST edition of "Cops" got its highest ratings yet, luring 19% of viewers to its mean streets. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON YAMAGUCHI: SKATER POSTPONES DEALS: Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi has postponed any endorsement deals until after the world figure skating championships March 24-29, her agent, Kevin Albrecht says. After that event, Yamaguchi says she'll be able to tell advertisers where she'll skate in the near future and whether she'll aim to compete in the 1994 Winter Games. DEALS COME SLOWLY FOR OLYMPIANS: Olympic athletes sometimes find it difficult to convert Olympic gold into endorsement greenbacks. Exceptions include gymnast Mary Lou Retton, decathlete Bruce Jenner and swimmer Mark Spitz. Sometimes the ad deals come slowly. Skater Dorothy Hamill didn't get her first major advertising endorsement until nine months after her gold medal in the 1976 Winter Games. OPPORTUNITY MAY COME NEXT WINTER: Advertisers might wait until next winter to use an athlete like Yamaguchi, who is associated with ice. Last fall, Yamaguchi signed deals with Kraft, Campbell Soup, Evian, Bausch & Lomb and Kellogg. Those marketers used Yamaguchi in relatively low-key ways this winter. Only Kellogg, which put the skater's picture on a cereal box, did much with her after the Games. AGENT IS OPTIMISTIC: Albrecht expects Yamaguchi to cash in after the world championships: "She won't have any problems with endorsements. She's a tremendous marketing property." Vangie Hayes of J. Walter Thompson has gotten several queries from clients asking to use Yamaguchi. People linking her to Japan-bashing, Hayes says, "are over-thinking. She brought home the gold and seems very American." (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Mickey McLean. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM