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NEWS ABOUT: commercials

Surprising Celeb Voices Behind TV Ads

You can't be dignified all the time

(Newser) - Jon Hamm is famous for playing an advertising exec on Mad Men, and soon he—or at least his voice—will also be famous for advertising, period. Hamm is the latest celebrity to lend his voice to a commercial campaign, in his case, Mercedes-Benz. PopEater takes a look at nine... More »

Biggest Oscar Moment for Some: iPad Ad Debut

But nothing we haven't seen before in 30-second commercial

(Newser) - The Apple iPad made its television debut last night with a 30-second commercial on the Academy Awards telecast, which you can view above. The keen eyes at Mashable caught CEO Steve Jobs on the red carpet, and the spot "explains" why he was there. Alternatively, the Detroit Free Press... More »

Paris Hilton Beer Ad Too Naughty for Brazil

Heiress' behavior actually tame, but ad that may be pulled

(Newser) - Apparently Brazil hasn't seen many photos of Paris Hilton, because an official has objected to a commercial that's surprisingly tame—for her. View the ad for Devassa beer, which features a fully clothed Hilton vamping provocatively in a high-rise window, in the gallery. For the sake of contrast, you can... More »

Small Firm Nabs $650K Prize for Super Bowl Ad

Crafty dog spot from small NC firm comes in 2nd with viewers

(Newser) - A crafty dog and a bag of Doritos combined to create a memorable Super Bowl ad and a big payday for a small North Carolina production company—$650,000. The firm won $50,000 for the spot originally and another $600,000 for taking the runner-up spot in real-time viewer... More »

Nostalgia Rules in Super Bowl Ads

From Betty White to Stevie Wonder, these ads bank on the familiar

(Newser) - Yes, there were still the requisite ads using slapstick violence to get a laugh, or objectifying women—but the reigning theme of this year's Super Bowl commercials was nostalgia. Thanks to the economy, many advertisers used familiar faces to pitch products, writes Stuart Elliott in the New York Times . A... More »

Best, Worst Super Bowl Ads

Megan Fox is great, but most ads are in 'meh' territory

(Newser) - It's a rare year when the Super Bowl itself eclipses the ads, but 2010 was such a year. Bob Garfield declares in Advertising Age that most of the spots were skippable and asserts he is "totally pro-TiVo." His picks for a few of the (relatively speaking) best and... More »

Weight Watchers Sues Jenny Craig Over Ad

Commercial claims 'clinical trial' proves Jenny is better

(Newser) - Weight Watchers is suing Jenny Craig over a commercial in which the weight loss company claims that a “major clinical trial” showed that the average Jenny customer lost twice as much weight "as those on the largest weight-loss program.” That’d be Weight Watchers, which says its... More »

10 Cringeworthy Celeb TV Ads

Katy Perry's Proactiv gig isn't nearly as bad as some of these

(Newser) - Katy Perry’s 15 minutes aren’t even up, and she’s already shilling for Proactiv. In her honor, Olivia Allin of The Frisky lists the 10 most embarrassing celebrity product endorsements:
  • Serena Williams for Tampax: Her commercial includes the cringeworthy lines, “Well, there is plenty of blood, but
... More »

Domino's Ad Compares Own Pizza to Cardboard

Shock-loving marketers convince pizza chain to dis old pies

(Newser) - Have you seen the new Domino’s ad? In what must be an unprecedented advertising move, Domino’s doesn’t just admit that its pizza is lacking, it rakes it over the coals, airing customer complaints comparing the crust to cardboard and the sauce to ketchup. Of course, the goal... More »

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... More »

The Necky: Like the Snuggie, but Smaller

Undecided on a Secret Santa gift? Check this out.

(Newser) - You want to buy the perfect gift for that special someone, but he or she already has a Snuggie and a Slanket: Never fear, the Necky is here! The Frisky has uncovered the latest must-have as-seen-on-TV item, perfect for “the truly lazy who can’t figure out how to... More »

Toyota Dumps Raunchy 'Incest' Ad

Boyfriend vows to have daughter 'on her back by 11'

(Newser) - Toyota has dumped an Australian teen night-on-the-town online ad dripping with sexual innuendo and smacking of date rape and incest following a storm of angry complaints. The ad, created by an independent filmmaker, features a young man who arrives at the door of a home to tell the father of... More »

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... More »

AT&T Sues Verizon Over 'Misleading' TV Ads

Spots wrongly suggest a lack of coverage in large areas, it says

(Newser) - AT&T went to court today to try to stop Verizon from mocking its wireless coverage in new TV commercials. The lawsuit contends that Verizon uses "misleading" maps to suggest that AT&T customers get no coverage at all in large swaths of the country. Verizon's "There's a... More »

Spade Got $200K for Farley Ad

Controversial DirecTV commercial is a 'tribute,' reps insist

(Newser) - Why did David Spade agree to the recent DirecTV ad that uses a scene from Tommy Boy, starring his departed costar Chris Farley? "To honor Chris's memory," his publicist tells the New York Post —but the $200,000 sources say Spade was paid probably didn't hurt.... More »

Beck Weeps for 'Simpler America'

He recalls kinder, gentler football players

(Newser) - Glenn Beck had a weepy "Kodak moment" when he shared old commercials with viewers yesterday and recalled a "simpler" America when "we used to be united." One of the oldie ads he played—a day after fellow right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh was bounced from a Rams... More »

Dominatrix, Levi Johnston Sex Up Pistachios

New commercials hope to erase recall stigma

(Newser) - Can sex sell nuts? Pistachio growers sure hope so. With sales off more than 20% following last year’s nationwide recall, they’ve launched a risqué $15 million ad campaign. How risqué? In one ad, a real-life dominatrix cracks open a pistachio with a whip, USA Today reports. Another... More »

'Save the Boob' Ads Turn Heads, Spark Complaints

Cutting-edge ads seek to reach younger women

(Newser) - Just because breast cancer is serious, does that mean PSAs have to be?  "Save the boob" is the tag line on one irreverent video in a campaign for breast cancer awareness that's drawing fans—and furious complaints. Designers of the public service announcements aim to grab the attention younger... More »

How TV's Trying to Woo You Back

...and back on the couch where you belong

(Newser) - Networks know we’re watching our favorite shows online instead of on TV, but they’re not taking it sitting down. Here’s what they’re doing, smart or otherwise, to bring us back, writes Stephanie Schomer for Fast Company:
  • Cutting commercials: ABC is going to do without the first
... More »

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... More »

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