Sexy Matador Fights Pork Chops in New Target Ad
Target is promoting its grocery offerings with a new series of TV ads featuring, among other oddities, exploding boxes of cake mix, and a sexy female matador dueling with various packaged meats.
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Food Fight: KFC and Franchisees Disagree on Ad Strategy
A judge in Louisville, Ky., has ruled that KFC must cooperate with franchisees on advertising, but that it can nix campaigns that it believes could hurt the brand. Disagreement over whether KFC should emphasize its fried or grilled chicken sparked the dispute.
ComScore: More Advertising Coming to Online Videos
Research firm ComScore projects that spending on online-video advertising will more than triple between 2010 and 2015. But that doesn't mean you'll necessarily see more commercials per video. Spending will continue to lag behind the huge growth in online videos, according to ComScore.
Do Early Peeks at Super Bowl Ads Pay Off?
It used to be all about surprising game-day viewers with knock-out ads and creating buzz after the final whistle. But lately more advertisers are posting commercials online ahead of the game, trying to build early buzz instead. Which strategy works better? At risk is a tidy sum.
Cat Fight: Arm & Hammer Sues Clorox Over Kitty Litter Commercial
Church & Dwight, the maker of Arm & Hammer's Super Scoop, is suing Clorox for a commercial in which a cat refuses to use its litter box.
Nielsen Report: Many DVR Viewers Play the Commercials
Here's a nice surprise for television advertisers: Digital video recorders are actually increasing, not decreasing, the number of viewers who are watching the commercials. Nearly half of the DVR owners in the critical 18- to 49-year-old age group watch the commercials, which boosts ratings, Nielsen says.
Personalized Ads: Not Just for the Web Anymore
Soon, the Internet won't be the only medium to offer advertisers the ability to closely target specific types of customers. Starting in August or September, DirecTV plans to launch a new personalized advertising service for television. Can it bring the scope of TV to highly targeted ads?
Charlie Sheen Goes Wild, but Advertisers Don't Mind
Despite Charlie Sheen's latest offscreen misbehavior, advertisers are sticking with his show, Two and a Half Men. It may be that the show's numbers -- it draws 15.2 million viewers -- are just too good to walk away from.
Why American Idol Still Commands the Biggest Bucks on TV
Despite a slip in its ratings dip and the loss of man-we-love-to-hate Simon Cowell, American Idol remains the most expensive show on TV for advertisers. Why are they willing to pay close to half a million dollars for a 30-second spot? Young viewers, and lots of them.
Boeing Sees Rebound in Airplane Demand
As the global economy improves, Boeing says it sees a rebound in demand for commercial aircraft. In fact, the company just landed a couple of big orders from Dubai-based Emirates Airlines and GE at the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow worth more than $12 billion.
Billionaire in Heated Battle Over Detroit's Ambassador Bridge
Manuel "Matty" Moroun enjoys a monopoly over one of the nation's busiest international trade routes between Detroit and Ontario. But now, as his Ambassador Bridge is starting to show its 81 years, Moroun has found himself frantically defending his claim to the lucrative trade business that takes place across the Detroit River each year.
Nike's New Tiger Woods Ad: A Mercenary, Creepy Misfire
Nike wanted to accelerate the public rehabilitation of Tiger Woods with a new ad featuring the voice of the golfer's deceased father. Instead, it has made its star endorser even more alien, mercenary and unsympathetic than before.
Why Is Broadview Security Scaring the Hell Out of Us?
Using sex in advertising is a tried and true way to sell a product. But one company is betting that fear may be just as effective. Broadview Security (formerly branded as Brinks Home Security) has been airing ads that feature a series of scenarios that play on women's darkest fears.
Live From the Operating Room, It's NBC's Today!
NBC's Today is featuring real-life surgeries this week in its "Inside the O.R." series. Though questionable in taste and purpose, the timing couldn't have been better for the February sweeps period that starts tomorrow and runs to March 3.