Athletes give Schwab an edge

It's one of the best and brightest new series on television. Chances are, you've seen at least one episode. <br><br>How about the one with Denver Broncos motormouth Shannon Sharpe? He taunts

Thursday, February 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

It's one of the best and brightest new series on television. Chances are, you've seen at least one episode.

How about the one with Denver Broncos motormouth Shannon Sharpe? He taunts opposing players with high-finance epithets - "I bet you pay transaction fees on your mutual funds," "I bet yo' mama pays full commission," "You can't spell Dow Jones."

Or how about the one with downhill darling Picabo Street? She's lifting weights, talking to her trainer about how people are
always "asking me about the crash." Once you've thought what you're supposed to think, she says, "The crash of 1929 - now that was a crash."

The commercials in the ongoing Charles Schwab investments campaign are sharp and funny, using celebrity athletes in a comic context based on the pop-culture presumption that jocks are kind of, you know, what's the word . . . ?

"The word you are looking for is 'unsophisticated,' " says Charlie Miesmer, vice chairman of BBDO New York, the agency that created the Schwab campaign.

"Athletes are great. They give you a lot of ride for your money. They're really famous - that's important. Movie stars price themselves out of the market or they refuse to do them. Same with the music business. But athletes? Like I said, they're wonderful."

And with new episodes, such as the Super Bowl-launched Ringo Starr spot, the series is showing real spin-off potential. If top stars are too expensive, there are plenty of budget-class celebrities.

How about game-show hosts? They're popular these days, and they seem pretty, you know, unsophisticated.