MARKETING

Bo Knows Deion: Bo Jackson--along with a load of jokes about his ailing hip--will be featured in a new Nike TV spot scheduled to air on July 14 during the Major League Baseball All Star game. Portions of the ad, which features Jackson cycling, swimming and working with weights, were shot before Jackson had his hip-replacement surgery. A second spot features Deion Sanders, another dual-sport athlete, who plays center field for the Atlanta Braves and defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons. With the big-game exposure for Sanders, Nike appears to be readying the flashy athlete as an eventual replacement spokesman for Jackson, who is not expected to fully recover from his hip surgery. Nike director of advertising Scott Bedbury said of Sanders, “He’s ready for prime-time.”