tv ads

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11 of the Best Super Bowl Ads and One of the Worst

The commercials during the big game did not disappoint

(Newser) - Super Bowl Sunday is about more than just the game , the halftime show , and the inevitable controversial call that will be debated for days: It's also about, of course, the commercials. The Athletic and the New York Post are among the many outlets running down the best and worst...

New David's Bridal Ad Is 'Rewriting the Rules'

30-second spot is company's first featuring same-sex couple

(Newser) - David's Bridal is debuting a new TV ad that the company hopes will show "we value every type of bride." That's per Liz Crystal, David's Bridal's chief marketing officer, who details for Ad Age how the company is "rewriting the rules" with its...

How to Hawk a Vibrator Without Mentioning It

It's a 'personal massager' that just so happens to cause 'ecstasy,' OK?

(Newser) - Condom king Trojan managed to get its new vibrator commercial on TV—and not just during the wee hours—by doing one simple thing: not referring to the product as a vibrator. Apparently referring to it by its proper name (“Vibrating Tri-Phoria”) is OK. Trojan also agreed not...

Old Spice Man Trades Horse for Motorcycle
 Old Spice Man 
 Trades Horse for Motorcycle 
he's back!
Jul 4, 2010 1:42 PM CDT

Old Spice Man Trades Horse for Motorcycle

'Man your man could smell like' Isaiah Mustafa returns

(Newser) - The "I'm on a horse" Old Spice commercial was a tough act to follow, but the body wash's latest spot is a thing of beauty, Linda Holmes blogs for NPR . Former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa is back, but his horse isn't. "There are so many ways this all...

Amid Skepticism, 3D Ads Debut

ESPN prepares to roll out 3D sports channel

(Newser) - ESPN has persuaded three advertisers to join it on the post-Avatar 3D bandwagon, but there may not be many more following anytime soon. Pixar, Sony, and Procter & Gamble will air 3D ads on ESPN 3D when the new channel launches tomorrow, in time for the World Cup, reports the...

Lost Finale Earns Raves—for Target Ads

Keyboard, smoke detector, barbecue sauce spots tickle viewers

(Newser) - Last night's Lost series finale left a lot of critics unhappy , but one thing most viewers agreed on was the cleverness of the Target ads that incorporated the show's mythology. "Can we have more of these, please?" asks New York's Vulture blog . "How about one for Dramamine showing...

Psychedelic Cat Food Commercial a Real Trip

The making of the Friskies 'Adventureland' spots, with turkey choreography

(Newser) - The insane "Adventureland" commercials for Friskies—which seem to suggest that your cat is dropping acid right there in the kitchen—took 6 months to produce and involved a cast of three cats and numerous humans, including a turkey-dance choreographer. The behind-the-scenes video about the making of the inescapable...

Young Obama? Nope. Indonesian Lookalike

Ilham Anas rides resemblance to fame, indigestion commercials

(Newser) - Indonesian Ilham Anas isn’t President Barack Obama, but he plays him on TV. The magazine photographer bears a striking resemblance to the US commander-in-chief—he shapes his eyebrows to heighten the effect—and uses it to the delight of advertisers and event planners in Southeast Asia. “I’ve...

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...

Google Runs 1st Super Bowl Ad

 Google Runs 1st 
 Super Bowl Ad 
super bowl xliv
Feb 7, 2010 11:15 PM CST

Google Runs 1st Super Bowl Ad

Search giant breaks into big time with romantic spot

(Newser) - After countless rumors and one coy tweet, Google aired its first Super Bowl ad tonight. The spot, "Parisian Love," traces a romance through search queries and results, beginning with "study abroad paris france" and ending with "how to assemble a crib." CEO Eric Schmidt hinted...

$57M Health Care Battle Infects Airwaves

Groups spend $57M on tough TV ads

(Newser) - A popular ad blasting President Obama’s health care effort symbolizes the overhaul with a bulging balloon: Eventually, the balloon bursts, as could Obama’s ambitious plan if the White House loses a fierce TV ad war against critics, Katharine Q. Seelye writes in the New York Times. So far...

Black Eyed Peas: Sellouts in Post-Sellout World

(Newser) - It is still possible for a musician to “sell out” in this hyper-commercialized world, says Seth Stevenson, who hangs on to the concept partly because of the pain he feels when a favorite song is co-opted—it’s like finding out a smart, cute girl “spends her weekends...

Microsoft to Apple: Bring It On
 Microsoft 
 to Apple: 
 Bring It On 
ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2009 9:48 AM CDT

Microsoft to Apple: Bring It On

(Newser) - With its snazzy ads and iPhone groupies, Apple has been winning the Mac vs. PC wars, but Microsoft is ready to strike back, Peter Burrows writes in BusinessWeek. Positioning itself as a cheaper alternative, the company has launched its own slate of “uncharacteristically cool” TV ads and is offering...

It's Snuggie Time, America
 It's Snuggie Time, 
 America 

opinion
Mar 15, 2009 5:36 PM CDT

It's Snuggie Time, America

How one reporter went from skeptic to snuggler

(Newser) - The "Snuggie phenomenon" has blossomed into romance for one New Yorker who ordered a few and fell hard. "Like all relationships, it's hard to chart how this one started," writes Kurt Soller in Newsweek. He ordered two Snuggies and four Slankets—both blankets with sleeves—and...

Microsoft Yanks Crazy Seinfeld Ads
 Microsoft 
 Yanks Crazy 
 Seinfeld Ads 
OPINION
Sep 18, 2008 9:56 AM CDT

Microsoft Yanks Crazy Seinfeld Ads

Cryptic ads left some 'scratching their heads'

(Newser) - Microsoft has axed the cryptic Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates ads that left some viewers "scratching their heads," Michelle Quinn writes in the Los Angeles Times. Though a Microsoft spokesman claims it was the plan all along to stop here, the blogosphere is abuzz about Microsoft's "strained...

Super Bowl Ads Score With Upbeat Humor

Madison Ave. wins with balloons, stains, horses, cashews

(Newser) - Coke topped Pepsi thanks to Charlie Brown, Budweiser’s Hank the Horse made viewers cry, and Tide to Go’s talking coffee stain scored the second-biggest upset of Super Bowl XLII. Madison Avenue outpaced expectations in the annual adfest that accompanies the NFL’s title game, reports the Wall Street ...

Super Bowl Ads Mirror US Mood
Super Bowl Ads Mirror US Mood
OPINION
Jan 21, 2008 6:40 PM CST

Super Bowl Ads Mirror US Mood

Boom times inspire better ads, MSNBC reports

(Newser) - Super Bowl ads reveal the economic tenor of our times, MSNBC reports. Boom times spark creative commercials, like Apple's famed Ridley Scott-directed "1984" plug, which aired as economic confidence was rising. “Every year it really does mirror the biggest trends that year—what’s happening in the economy...

Mitt's Blasts at 'Broken' Washington Risk GOP Ire

Romney distances himself from the president

(Newser) - White House hopeful Mitt Romney is distancing himself from President Bush in his TV ads and public statements—risking the ire of Republican primary voters who still support the president's most controversial policies. Romney's new theme is that the Republican party has been led off course, reports the Los Angeles ...

18 Stories