• New York Times, Friday, October 13, 2006 12:15 PM

Bob Dylan may have long been known as anti-establishment, but that didn't stop him from doing commercials for iTunes and iPod. Instead, like an increasing number of top celebrities, he has come to see doing TV ads as a good move. Dylan--who also has done a spot for Victoria's Secret--has gained exposure for his new CD, "Modern Times," while Apple gets to be associated with a rock legend. Advertising agencies say they are finding more and better choices among celebrities for their campaigns including top Hollywood talent like Nicole Kidman, Susan Sarandon and Robert DeNiro. About 20 percent of ads in the United States feature celebrities--double that of a decade ago. "That old stigma that celebrities were selling out by doing a commercial has gone by the wayside," said Linda Kaplan Thaler, the chief executive and creative officer of the Kaplan Thaler Group. "The days of Brad Pitt doing a commercial in Japan that he thought no one was going to see are gone."

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