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New TV Ads Can't Be Zapped
 New TV Ads Can't Be Zapped  

New TV Ads Can't Be Zapped

Messages built into TV pictures

(Newser) - Britain's leading ad-supported TV network is testing a new form of advertising that viewers can’t zap past, reports the Times of London. The new technology finds clear space in a video frame, such as blue sky or gray walls, and inserts an ad. It's being tested online before making...

Songs Savaged by Pop Culture
 Songs Savaged by Pop Culture 
OPINION

Songs Savaged by Pop Culture

Commercials, YouTube and 'iconic' movie scenes make old faves unlistenable

(Newser) - Some songs simply can't survive the ravages of pop culture. Scott Bennett on College Humor, runs down some tunes he can no longer listen to:
  • "O, Fortuna:" Jackass turned this "orchestral masterpiece" from Carl Orff into something that went from evoking "the struggle of mankind" to
...

'Voice of Hollywood' Has Been Silenced

LaFontaine, 'the King of Voiceovers,' worked on almost 5,000 films

(Newser) - In a world where movie trailer voiceovers are key to attracting audiences to theaters, Don LaFontaine was known as the “King of Voiceovers.” The 25-year industry veteran, who died today in LA at 68, worked for all of the major TV networks and on nearly 5,000 films,...

He's a Goofy Dancer, Not a Prophet of Peace
He's a Goofy Dancer,
Not a Prophet of Peace
OPINION

He's a Goofy Dancer, Not a Prophet of Peace

The combination of image and music is mystical, but not necessarily meaningful

(Newser) - No doubt you've seen or heard of the YouTube phenomenon in which Matt Harding dances his way across the world and its cultures, set to a New Age song poem. And no doubt you've heard fans refer to Harding as nothing less than a purveyor of world peace. But please,...

Under Armour Masters Product Placement

From sports to film and TV, firm goes beyond advertising

(Newser) - There was a time when Baltimore sportswear maker Under Armour had to pay for advertising. No more, the Sun reports: its distinctive opposing-U shape has become ubiquitous in film and TV, prominently displayed in productions from Any Given Sunday to The Wire. During the first 3 months of 2008, Under...

'Jackie Moon' Plugs Old Spice
'Jackie Moon' Plugs Old Spice

'Jackie Moon' Plugs Old Spice

Jocular tie-in to Will Ferrell character to revamp brand

(Newser) - In its latest move to shed its image as a '70s relic, Old Spice has hired a '70s relic as its spokesman: the Afro-ed, headband-sporting basketball player Jackie Moon. Old Spice hopes Moon, a Will Ferrell character starring in the upcoming Semi-Pro, will attract the coveted young male demographic with...

Lawyers' Ads Make for Legal Circus Indeed

Aliens, panthers, lions, pit bulls jostle in free-speech face-offs

(Newser) - A law firm running ads is often frowned upon by its legal peers, and such advertising is subject to strict standards in many states. But with New York cracking down on TV spots depicting lawyers as giants or offering counsel to aliens, firms are fighting back, the Wall Street Journal ...

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 ...

The 11 Best Super Bowl Ads
The 11 Best Super Bowl Ads

The 11 Best Super Bowl Ads

Game? What game?

(Newser) - There's probably supposed to be a game or something on tonight, but for legions of Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is all about the commercials. EW jumped in its way-back machine and dug up the 11 most memorable big-game distractions. They were:
  • Cindy Crawford drinks a Pepsi (1992)
  • The Ridley Scott-directed
...

Subway Sues Quiznos Over Ad Contest
Subway Sues Quiznos
Over Ad Contest

Subway Sues Quiznos Over Ad Contest

Sandwich-maker offered $10K to fan that best mocked competitor

(Newser) - Subway is suing Quiznos after the sub-maker invited fans to drum up ads for an online contest, the New York Times reports. Two years ago, Quiznos offered $10,000 to the fan whose ad best compared Quiznos subs to Subway's "with Quiznos being superior." Subway fumed after seeing...

Super Bowl Ads Mirror US Mood
Super Bowl Ads Mirror US Mood
OPINION

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...

'Idol' Charges Record Ad Rates
'Idol' Charges Record Ad Rates

'Idol' Charges Record Ad Rates

Writers strike wipes out the competition

(Newser) - "American Idol"—TV's undisputed ratings champ with its biggest competitors sidelined by the writers strike—is setting records for ad prices. "It's the biggest thing in a landscape where there aren't as many big things as there used to be,'' an ad buyer tells Bloomberg. The...

Verizon Sues Alltel Over Guinea Pig Ad

Wireless giant says claims made in commercial are untrue

(Newser) - Verizon Wireless is suing rival Alltel for false advertising over a television commercial featuring a vicious guinea pig, the Register reports. In the ad, a caged rodent named Alice is compared to Verizon customers who lack the freedom to change calling plans without extending their contracts. Released from her cage,...

Homemade Ad Tops Best List
Homemade Ad Tops Best List

Homemade Ad Tops Best List

Doritos plug was marketing home run

(Newser) - The best ad of 2007 cost 12 bucks to make. The winner of the Doritos Super Bowl commercial contest took best ad honors in USA Today's poll of ad pros and couch potatoes. And that wasn't even the most authentic or irreverent item on the list. The winners are:
  • Best
...

And Now, South Korea Gets a Word From Its Sponsors

Long a holdout, Seoul legalizes commercials within programs

(Newser) - South Koreans long accustomed to watching uninterrupted boob tube are about to get a jolt of commercial reality—the Korean broadcasting agency has bowed to years of pressure and will at last legalize ads during TV shows. Laws had forbidden even private channels from commercial interruptions, and ads were screened...

NBC Looks to TiVo to Help Sell Clients

Network is hoping to corral ad zappers by tapping DVR data

(Newser) - NBC Universal will begin using viewership data gleaned from TiVo digital video recorders beginning in January, making it the first of the major networks to have access to second-by-second ratings of programming and commercials from TiVo, reports the Wall Street Journal. The network hopes TiVo will help it develop effective...

Charmin Icon Dies at 91
Charmin Icon Dies at 91

Charmin Icon Dies at 91

TV adman played Mr. Whipple, who urged customers to refrain from squeezing

(Newser) - Dick Wilson, the actor who played Charmin's Mr. Whipple for 21 years, died today at the age of 91, the AP reports. Although he did stints at Disney and had parts in popular television shows of the 1960s, Wilson will be widely remembered as the uptight grocer who urged customers,...

Soon, Advertisers Will Get You Too
Soon, Advertisers Will Get You Too

Soon, Advertisers Will Get You Too

DVR pioneer Tivo sells demographic data

(Newser) - With cable companies crowding the TV recording industry it once lorded over, TiVo has found a new revenue stream – selling advertisers info about commercial skippers. Already purveyors of minute-by-minute ratings for shows, TiVo will now offer demographic details to hungry advertisers, the Wall Street Journal reports. “I want...

Office Rents Soar in US
Office Rents Soar in US

Office Rents Soar in US

Companies are bearing the brunt of a price surge for commercial leases

(Newser) - The price of office space has surged nationwide due to a dwindling store of vacant commercial property and picky landlords increasingly keen on attracting well-heeled tenants. Across the country, leases spiked an average of 3.1% in the second quarter, following an increase of 2.8% in the first.

Radio Replaces Commercials With Sponsors

Dallas station moves to keep up with the iPod generation

(Newser) - In a throwback to the days of Texaco Star Theater and the Colgate Comedy Hour, a Clear Channel radio station has ditched spot ads in favor of hourly corporate sponsors. In an effort to compete with uninterrupted satellite radio and mp3 players, DJs on KZPS-FM in Dallas will pepper their...

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