Just ask American Jill Trenary, who placed fourth in figure skating in the 1988 Olympics. Sure, she was signed in 1990 as a spokeswoman for the in-line skates Ultra-Wheels.
At the time, executives at Minneapolis-based First Team Sports believed that she was a top contender for a gold medal in the 1992 Winter Games. But an injury has since forced her to retire.
As a result, her contract with First Team, which expires this month, is not being renewed, said John Egart, vice president of marketing for the firm. "If she had won the gold this year," he said, "of course, we would have renewed the contract."
Briefly
Although the $10-million Daihatsu account will disappear later this year when the Japanese car company leaves the U.S. market, its Santa Monica agency Kresser/Craig has no plans to lay off employees. . . . Looking for respectability, New York's troubled Clio Awards have named the producer of the Belding Awards, Sandra Inbody-Brick, as executive producer of the Sept. 14 ceremony. . . . San Diego-based Phillips-Ramsey Advertising has won the ad account for Rancho Dominguez-based Giant Bicycle. . . . Pacific/West Communications Group has won the $1.6-million ride-sharing marketing program for California's Department of Transportation. . . . The Los Angeles agency Valdes Zacky Associates has won a Spanish language ad project for the Dole Packaged Foods business. . . . The San Juan Capistrano marketing firm Lupo & Associates has added client United Sports Technologies of Dallas. . . . Irvine-based Wakeman & deForrest will handle marketing for International Teletrac Systems Inc.'s stolen vehicle locater service. . . . Lee Liu & Tong, a New York agency specializing in ads for the Asian-American market, has opened a Los Angeles office.
Skating for Endorsement Gold
Female figure skaters are the Winter Olympics athletes most sought after to endorse products. Here are some current and past gold medal winners--and medal hopefuls--and products they've endorsed:
Kristi Yamaguchi: Kellogg's Special K, Evian drinking water, Kraft Foods, Ray-Ban sunglasses and NutraSweet
Tonya Harding: Texaco, NutraSweet and Riverside Jeep in Portland, Ore.
Katarina Witt: Diet Coke and Danskin active wear
Dorothy Hamill: Tab, Ford Tempo, NutraSweet, Bausch & Lomb and Clairol hair products
Peggy Fleming: Coca-Cola, National Pork Producers Council, National Canned Food Assn., Nutri/System, Trident sugarless gum, Uncle Ben's rice, Ocean Spray, McCall's clothing patterns and Kellogg's Bran Flakes
Debi Thomas: Campbell Soup and Raytheon
