commercials

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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...

Spade Got $200K for Farley Ad
 Spade Got $200K for Farley Ad 
WATCH THE AD

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....

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...

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...

'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...

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
...

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...

Microsoft Ad Campaign Gets Under Apple's Skin

Laptop-browsing spot may be boosting Microsoft's 'value perception'

(Newser) - Apple demanded Microsoft ditch TV ads featuring shoppers mulling the relative value of PCs and Macs, CNET reports. In the ads, which Microsoft’s chief operating officer calls “completely unscripted,” shoppers get to keep money they save by choosing a PC over a Mac. “We got a...

Ad Exec Scores as UPS 'Whiteboard Guy'

Whiteboard guy prompts FedEx parody

(Newser) - He’s an ad exec by trade, but Andy Azula displays his acting chops—not to mention his drawing skills—in UPS commercials so popular a rival is spoofing them. In the ads, the long-haired Azula diagrams UPS service on a whiteboard. FedEx recently launched a website that features a...

Mexico Slams Burger King for 'Whopper' of an Insult

(Newser) - Mexico is protesting what it says is a whopper of an insult. An advertisement for Burger King's chili-flavored "Texican" burger that has run in Europe shows a small wrestler dressed in a cape resembling a Mexican flag. The wrestler teams up with a lanky American cowboy who boosts him...

ShamWow Guy's Other Claim to Fame: Ex-Scientologist

Infomercial pitchman used group connections to make comedy film

(Newser) - Vince Offer Shlomi, the ShamWow pitchman who gained infamy after being arrested for badly beating a prostitute last month, is also a renegade ex-Scientologist, Gawker reports. Shlomi joined group in 1982, made connections with Scientology’s many entertainment-industry adherents, and found financing to start filming The Underground Comedy Movie, featuring...

ShamWow Guy Arrested After Hooker Fight

Pitchman Shlomi allegedly punched call girl repeatedly

(Newser) - He may seem like a nice man with a magical towel, but Vince Shlomi—better known as the ShamWow guy—was arrested last month for punching a prostitute, the Smoking Gun reports. Shlomi, 44, told police he took 26-year-old Sasha Harris back to his hotel room and paid her $1,...

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...

China Bans Actors From Medical Commercials

Health Ministry calls drug commercials misleading

(Newser) - Stung by the appearance of a single actor playing four different medical experts, the Chinese government has prohibited actors from portraying doctors or patients in commercials, Variety reports. The outrage stemmed from a Beijing Times article that also revealed one actress had posed as someone suffering from lung, liver, kidney,...

The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads
 The 10 Best Super Bowl Ads 

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...

Tough Times Put Cheap Ads in Prime Time

Low airtime costs offer big audience to low-budget spots

(Newser) - The recession has pushed TV advertising rates to a relative pittance, and that’s great news for tools like the PedEgg—a callous remover—and the Snuggie—a blanket with sleeves. Though it may hurt shows’ profiles, “Act Now!” infomercial-style ads have recently broken into primetime, the Washington ...

DUI Bust Costs Barkley T-Mobile Gig

Phone company benches ex-hoop star 'for the time being'

(Newser) - In the wake of his DUI arrest—during which he told a cop he was in a hurry to get oral sex—Charles Barkley has lost another job, Advertising Age reports. T-Mobile has pulled spots featuring Barkley “for the time being,” a rep said, adding, "As he...

Insurance Ad Gave 'Heart' to Election TV: Carpenter

(Newser) - Singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter admits that the presidential election intruded on her life. But she found an unlikely source of inspiration amid her hours of obsessive TV watching—in a Liberty Mutual ad. Its old-fashioned carnival scene and music by the band Hem "evoked a nostalgia" for "a...

Saved by Zero? Or Sick to Death of It?

Toyota's relentless 0% APR ads wear thin ... and will continue

(Newser) - “Saved by zero?” Try bored. Toyota’s 0% APR ad campaign has left TV viewers annoyed—by both the jingle and the fact that it airs seemingly incessantly, AP reports. Though some might appreciate the extension of 0% financing, originally set to expire this week, most viewers are bemoaning...

Fox Vetoes World Series Day Game
Fox Vetoes World Series
Day Game

Fox Vetoes World Series Day Game

Prefers prime time start

(Newser) - With all the late starts and later finishes plaguing the World Series, many are pining for an old-fashioned day game—including Bud Selig. The commish says he’d love to schedule an afternoon contest, if only Fox would let him. But the network insists on starting in prime time, when...

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