TV commercial

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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...

In Need of a Wireless Mic or Food Dehydrator? He Was Your Guy

Infomercial icon and Ronco pitchman Ron Popeil dies at 86

(Newser) - In the darkest, wee-est hours of the nights of yore, when all the real TV programming ran out, there used to be something called infomercials: entire TV programs about people selling products that might be useful to you but that you probably didn't know you wanted. These immediate forebears...

Watch This Moving 9/11 Tribute That Aired Just Once
This 9/11 Ad Aired Only Once
VIDEO

This 9/11 Ad Aired Only Once

Moving Budweiser commercial was broadcast during the 2002 Super Bowl and never since

(Newser) - Some brands should completely stay away from trying to commemorate 9/11, but others have figured out how to appropriately, and movingly, mark that indelible moment. In Budweiser's case, it came up with what's been called "the best 9/11 commercial ever," and it's only officially aired...

Target Ad About Black-Owned Business Spurs 1-Star Reviews

Honey Spot commercial for Target becomes flashpoint in conversation about race

(Newser) - Another TV commercial is the subject of unintended controversy, but this one has nothing do with exercise bikes . Instead, the Target commercial features the African-American owner of the Honey Pot, which sells feminine hygiene products, as she talks about her business and its potential to inspire. Coverage:
  • The ad: Watch
...

Hallmark Channel CEO Steps Down After a 'Black Eye'

Bill Abbott's move comes one month after Hallmark pulled then restored same-sex ads

(Newser) - For nearly a dozen years, Bill Abbott has served as president and CEO of Hallmark Channel, which expanded its programming and enjoyed increased ratings and ad revenue during his tenure. So an announcement Wednesday from the channel's parent company that Abbott is resigning was somewhat surprising, per the Los ...

37 Years Later, a Reunion Between 2 of Our Favorite Stars

Xfinity ad starring E.T. and Henry Thomas, aka Elliott, aired during Thanksgiving Day parade

(Newser) - Some are calling it "heartwarming." . Others, like io9 , have a different take on the Xfinity ad that debuted during Thursday's Thanksgiving Day parade on NBC. "What you're looking at is [a] major corporation dipping into a considerable bag of tricks labeled 'Nostalgic Intellectual Property'...

Carrie Bradshaw Is Back on TV— for 43 Seconds

She's joined by 'The Dude'

(Newser) - It's the day Sex and the City fans have dreamed of: Carrie Bradshaw is back on TV—albeit briefly, and thanks to the Super Bowl. Sarah Jessica Parker is co-starring in a 43-second ad for Stella Artois beer, and the character starring opposite her is pretty well-known, too: that...

Arby's Airs a 13-Hour Commercial

Setting a Guinness Record in the process

(Newser) - Norway's 8-hour TV program that featured nothing but wood burning is amateur hour compared to this: a 13-hour, 5 minute, 11-second commercial of brisket smoking. That spot, which aired Saturday, has set a Guinness World Record (the former record-holding commercial, by Nivea, was a measly hour), and the honor...

Liza Minnelli Had Breakdown Over Throat Drops Ad

Martha Stewart to the rescue, says report

(Newser) - If you watched the Golden Globes, you may have noticed Martha Stewart shilling for Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops in a rare ad appearance. But Liza Minnelli was originally intended to star in the commercial, according to a crazy New York Post story that claims Minnelli initially insisted on a...

Car Dealer Famous for Outlandish Ads Dead at 92

Cal Worthington and his 'dog Spot' appeared in California commercials

(Newser) - Cal Worthington, famous in Southern California for the outlandish TV commercials advertising his car dealership, died Sunday at age 92. Worthington, who bought his first LA-area dealership in 1950, started making the commercials in an attempt to drum up business because his location wasn't so hot, the New York ...

Men's Wearhouse Paying Zimmer $1M for His Voice

Company can use it, his face for 4 years in ads

(Newser) - A weird quirk in the George Zimmer saga at Men's Wearhouse: Even though the founder has been fired from the company, his familiar voice might be guaranteeing that men will "like the way they look" for the next four years, reports CNNMoney . The company will hang on to...

The Awesome Ferris Bueller Ad Is Here

Matthew Broderick stars in 'Matthew's Day Off' for Honda

(Newser) - The full-length Ferris Bueller-inspired Super Bowl ad is here, and AdWeek dubs it "awesome." Matthew Broderick stars in "Matthew's Day Off," a Honda ad in which he calls in sick to a film shoot in order to do all sorts of fun stuff in his...

Groupon Tweaking Controversial Super Bowl Ads

Charitable aim to be made clearer after angry response

(Newser) - After receiving an overwhelmingly negative response (but plenty of free publicity), Groupon is going to rework its controversial ads first aired during the Super Bow l. The ads, spoof PSAs that were slammed for trivializing causes like Tibet, were supposed to encourage charitable donations—and they will be tweaked to...

Congress Makes Commercials Quieter

Though it'll take 2 years to hear the benefits

(Newser) - Congress began turning down the volume on TV commercials today, approving a bill that requires advertisers to keep their spots close to that of the program they interrupt. The bill, awaiting the president's signature, gives the FCC a year to figure out the logistics of establishing new standards and another...

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!

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...

Hulk Hogan Sues Cocoa Pebbles Over Commercial

Look-alike character gets soundly beaten

(Newser) - Hulk Hogan is back in federal court in Florida, this time over a cartoon commercial. Hulk claims his reputation was harmed in a "Cocoa Smashdown" featuring Hulk Boulder vs Fred and Barney when Bamm-Bamm steps in, tosses him into the air, and wins the match. Hulk is suing Post...

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...

'What Were You Thinking?' Tiger's Dead Pop Asks in Ad

Eerie Nike commercial addresses scandal in its way

(Newser) - Tiger Woods' dead father asks him if he "learned anything" in a bizarre new Nike ad featuring the return of a very guilty-looking golf pro to TV commercials. The entire 30-second black-and-white spot is simply a close up of a sad Woods listening to the recorded words of his...

19 Stories