Adidas has new star

Look who is getting the last laugh in the product-promotion game. Hint: It's not Nike, which gambled big on a Kobe-LeBron matchup in the NBA finals. Instead, Adidas goes to town with Magic center Dwight Howard, who is fast moving from bit player to mega-star. Adidas signed him right out of high school in 2004, shortly after the Magic picked him first in the draft. He has smaller deals with McDonald's, Wrigley, T-Mobile, Warner Bros. and DC Comics, the Milk Processor Education Program ("Got Milk?"), and Coca-Cola's Glaceau. From Ad Age:

As a 23-year-old seemingly still improving, a sponsor could enjoy a decade or longer of elite on-court performance. Like Shaquille O'Neal before him, Mr. Howard is the rare NBA 7-footer who exudes charisma in spades, as he did at last year's Slam Dunk Contest, when he donned a Superman cape and incorporated amusing props to enhance his jaw-droppingly athletic dunks. (He also showed grace by letting his Lilliputian opponent, Nate Robinson, leap over him to win the title.) And he's also devoutly religious and notably charitable, which may comfort some marketers squeamish about exposure to the next Michael Vick (or even the next Mr. Bryant, who lost much of his backing after a sexual-assault allegation that was ultimately dropped).

As is always the case with athletes-turned-spokespeople, the trick is to transcend the sports stuff. And have good material - the very funny Kobe-LeBron puppet spots worked at all levels.