television advertising

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The Year's Worst Commercials
 The Year's Worst 
 Commercials 
2009 in Review
Dec 28, 2009 12:32 PM CST

The Year's Worst Commercials

From crapping bears to creepy wind-up dolls, these ads flopped

(Newser) - If Hollywood makes a successor to Mad Men is set in this decade, some ads are going to seem really strange. For example, our prescription medicine spots, which already seem comical, will absolutely dumbfound people of the future, writes Seth Stevenson for Slate . And that’s before we get into...

Pepsi Won't Field Super Bowl Ads

Beverage maker focusing on integrated digital campaign instead

(Newser) - Pepsi will end its 23-year advertising presence on the Super Bowl telecast to focus on a cross-platform marketing push with a strong digital component. The company was quick to spin the retreat, which will leave the broadcast wide open to archrival Coca-Cola. “The Super Bowl broadcast can be an...

Steelers Legend Cops Award for 30-Year-Old Coke Ad
Steelers Legend Cops Award for 30-Year-Old Coke Ad
not-so-mean joe greene
Nov 16, 2009 5:37 PM CST

Steelers Legend Cops Award for 30-Year-Old Coke Ad

'Mean' Joe Greene, child co-star receive Clios 30 years later

(Newser) - Already a Hall of Fame-bound football player, Joe Greene of the Steelers became an advertising legend 30 years ago with the release of the Coca-Cola commercial that ends with him tossing his jersey to a starstruck young fan. The spot won the ad industry's highest honor, but the stars had...

DVR Viewers Give Ratings Boost to Grey's , Others
DVR Viewers Give Ratings Boost to Grey's, Others
TELEVISION
Oct 14, 2009 12:27 PM CDT

DVR Viewers Give Ratings Boost to Grey's, Others

Execs hope these watchers will eventually translate into ad dollars

(Newser) - TV networks dismayed at low ratings early in the season are getting a ray of hope in the form of the once-feared DVR. Sure, ad buyers won’t pay out when a viewer watches Grey’s Anatomy on TiVo, but that and other shows are gaining a massive audience days...

Dole Gets DNC Health Reform Spot Pulled

Ad citing former GOP senator's support 'backhanded,' he says

(Newser) - The Democratic National Committee is canceling a television ad touting GOP support for health care reform after protests from one of the Republicans mentioned, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. Dole is quoted saying: "I want this to pass...We've got to do something." The former Kansas senator...

TV Companies Team Up to Take On Nielsen

(Newser) - A  group of media companies has joined forces with major advertisers to challenge Nielsen's dominance in TV ratings measurement, the Financial Times reports. The firms involved—including NBC, Time Warner, Disney, and Procter & Gamble—aim to have their rival audience measurement scheme up and running by next month,...

Stay Tuned for Ads During TV Shows

Advertisers to paste commercials on sides of screen

(Newser) - A new strategy aims to grab the attention of viewers now using DVR to skip commercial breaks: in tests, so-called “in-show ads” are run on the top or bottom of the screen—and even on occasion in the middle—during the action, Advertising Age reports. Execs are betting that...

Pee in the Shower, Save the World: Brazilian Group

(Newser) - A Brazilian environmental group is running TV ads encouraging citizens to save water by urinating in the shower, the AP reports. SOS Mata Atlantica says a household can save more than 1,000 gallons a year by going No. 1 straight into the drain. The humorous ad is “a...

White House Gets Tough on Congress' Critics, Skeptics

Obama defends stimulus, pushes health reform

(Newser) - The White House is cracking down on its critics—and on laggards within the Democratic Party, too. Republican naysayers on the economic stimulus and health care are getting the roughest treatment, Politico reports. After Kentucky Sen. Jon Kyl railed against the efficacy of stimulus spending, four Cabinet secretaries wrote to...

Conan Woos Far Younger Tonight Show Crowd

O'Brien lowers median age of Tonight viewers by 10 years

(Newser) - In just one month, Conan O’Brien has lowered the median age of the Tonight Show audience by 10 years, from 55 to 45, the New York Times reports. Conan has radically reshaped the demographics of the program by drawing an unprecedented number of new viewers aged 18 to 34—...

Airline Pitches the Really Friendly Skies

Let-it-all-hang-out Air New Zealand won't nickel-and-dime you

(Newser) - To tout its distaste for hidden fees, Air New Zealand is mounting a tasteful display—of nudity. The airline's new commercial features employees wearing nothing but body paint, the Boston Globe reports. The campaign, called “Nothing to Hide,” touts the now-antiquated practice of providing meals and not charging...

Brits Bellow Over 'Racist' White Bull Ad

(Newser) - A British milk ad showing an angry black-spotted bull "purifying" himself white is racist, consumers are bellowing—charges a UK advertising council has labeled bull. "Viewers were likely to understand that the black-and-white bulls were intended as a metaphor for milk and were unlikely to interpret the purification...

You Skipping Ads? TiVo Plans to Sell That Info

(Newser) - Watch out Nielsen, here comes TiVo. The company that allows you to skip ads and store shows on its digital video recorder plans to sell your viewing habits to stations and advertisers, USA Today reports. Unlike Nielsen, TiVo can sell second-by-second breakdowns of the shows and ads people watch. But...

Viral Marketing Stunt Puts TV Actor on ... TV

(Newser) - A mysterious bald audience member turning up on various live Fox broadcasts is a viral marketing plant—as well as an actor on the show he’s subtly promoting. Michael Cerveris, in character as “The Observer” from the sci-fi drama Fringe, has so far been spotted, well, observing football,...

Sick of Booming Ads? Help's on the Way From DC

Calif. rep introduces law for balanced volume

(Newser) - If you’re tired of being blasted by a loud commercial right after a quiet scene in your favorite TV show, a California representative hears you loud and clear—and wants to do something about it, Advertising Age reports. US Rep. Anna Eshoo introduced legislation in June to bar commercials...

But Wait, There's More! Snuggie's Not the Original

Ads set it apart, but it wasn't the first sleeved blanket

(Newser) - Casual observers—meaning late-night TV watchers—probably think the sleeved-blanket craze started with the Snuggie. Easy mistake: The ads showing cultish, cozy Snuggie converts are everywhere, and 4 million have been sold since October, the New York Times reports. But the creator of the Slanket wants to set the record...

TV Still Advertising's Top Dog
 TV Still Advertising's Top Dog 
Feb 23, 2009 12:19 PM CST

TV Still Advertising's Top Dog

DVR, internet haven't destroyed medium, research suggests

(Newser) - Citing DVR, channel-surfing, and the Internet, many have sounded TV advertising’s death knell—but research shows it may be healthier than ever, Advertising Age reports. The forthcoming results of one large study will likely show the tube is still advertising’s top medium, even for targeting young people. Multiple...

Ads Were Not So Super
 Ads Were Not So Super 
SUPER BOWL
Feb 2, 2009 6:11 AM CST

Ads Were Not So Super

Nice tries but no touchdowns as advertisers stick to the familiar

(Newser) - Given the $3 million, 30-second opportunity to speak to the biggest audience of the year, advertisers reached deep into their bag of tricks last night and pulled out the same old formulas, Stuart Elliot writes in the New York Times. Slapstick, celebrities, sex, nostalgia, and plenty of animals filled the...

The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads
 The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads 
Jan 27, 2009 12:17 PM CST

The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads

Animals, violence, catchphrases fuel success

(Newser) - Sure, the economy's in the toilet, but there’s always $3 million in the couch cushions for 30 seconds come Super Bowl time. But it remains to be seen whether this year’s crop stick to a reliable winning formula: Include “animals, potty humor, violence, celebrities, sentimentality,” or...

Soaps Slip on Auto Ad Woes; Even Lucci Takes Pay Cut

Dramas cut budgets amid fears of lost advertising

(Newser) - Trouble in the auto industry is causing drama for daytime TV as soaps lose big advertising dollars, Advertising Age reports. Local dealerships are key backers of the shows, which have been in a ratings decline for years. The upshot: trimmed budgets, fewer sets, and dropped actors, including a pair of...

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