• by John Gaffney , October 23, 2002

Sneakers, Baby, Sneakers: You guys can pay all the attention to want to Martha, Rosie, The Herald Tribune and ABC-CNN. Me, I'm watching sneakers. The current sneaker ad wars say more about media planning and buying right now than any other news. They're just not as sensational. From Nike you have the state-of-the-art emotional connection. The everyman athlete as everyday hero. Still among the best ads ever made and (this gets undersold) the most effective placements. From Reebok you have Allen Iverson, now hip-hopping down the court with his own rhyme skills showcased right along his ball-handling skills. And from Adidas, a surprise. Keep your eye out for Tracy McGrady leading off a campaign that makes teamwork look as cool as a slam dunk. Three approaches. One is tried and true, and that's Nike. But the variety and pure action of these ad approaches are good news for this business. On and off the court it's all about competition.

Laddie Wars: And where do you run print versions of said ads? The young men's magazine category that is about to get hotter than Steve Spurrier on a Sunday is actually creating business, in my opinion. That's why you'll see TimeWarner and at least three other high profile launches in this category next year.

Great Line: From Chris Schroeder at breakfast yesterday, talking about pop-over advertising: "It's like serving a sentence in the middle of Friends."