Inside Briefing

MARKETING
The Littlest Pitchman

If you thought sports endorsements were getting out of hand in May when Nike recently signed Lebron James, 18, to a $90 million shoe deal before he played his first NBA game, brace yourself. A few days later, the company gave a $1 million contract to soccer prodigy Freddy Adu, 14. And rival shoemaker Reebok has signed its own precocious pitchman, Mark Walker, who is all of 3 years old. Reebok features Walker on its website, reebok.com , where in a video clip he nails 18 straight shots into a basket set up in his family's garage. Jim Thompson, president of the nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance, calls the clip innocent and sweet. But he considers "creepy" another spot, in which Walker stares into the camera and declares, "I am Reebok." The company says it is merely showcasing Walker's skills and is thrilled with the 660,000 hits the clip received in June. The toddler's prize? Reebok has pledged to pay his college tuition.

SMALL BUSINESS
Don't Tax Yourself

More than 3,500 small businesses received an unusual injunction from the IRS in June: Stop paying unnecessary taxes! Five years ago, the government repealed the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for small corporations, but thousands of them, confused by the law, have continued to pay. At the insistence of Senators Christopher Bond of Missouri and Olympia Snowe of Maine, the IRS is alerting businesses by mail. Those who have paid the AMT in error will have to file an amended return, Form 1120X, to get a refund. "These businesses will now have to spend even more money on tax accountants and attorneys instead of on new equipment or job creation," says Jonathan Collegio, spokesman for the Washington-based advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform.

UPDATE
Not Leaving Las Vegas

The May issue of TIME Inside Business featured a cover story on captive marketing the insinuation of ads into formerly private domains, like taxis, elevators and even rest rooms. The latest entrant in the captive game: choo-choos for the Wayne Newton crowd. The $650 million Las Vegas Monorail, scheduled to open early next year, will run along the east side of the fabled Strip, carrying gamblers between casinos like the MGM Grand and Harrah's. Several companies will sponsor multicar trains, blanketing each car with logos and promotions. Hansen's Beverage has signed a 10-year, $10 million deal to sponsor the Monster train (named for its Monster Energy drink) and plans to give drink samples to passengers and display video ads. "We prefer to call it a totally immersive branding environment," says Patrick Pharris, chief executive of Promethean Partners, which is selling the monorail's advertising and has also secured Motorola as an early partner. Ad revenues will help subsidize fares on the monorail, which will be the first modern U.S. public-transit system financed entirely by private funds.