• The New York Times, Thursday, December 21, 2006 11:47 AM

Wendy's commercials to be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports football games this weekend feature an emerging technology that allows advertisers to vary their message at the last minute. The ads create a reverse product placement. Instead of inserting Wendy's fries into a TV program, the company will incorporate a show's content in its commercials.

The spots star animated raccoons that will adjust their pitch, depending on what's happening in the game. If the score is 0-0, an ad might start with a Wendy's raccoon standing in front of an overturned trash can, saying, "I may be nocturnal, but this game is putting me to sleep."

Two technology companies that produce targeted TV ads, Visible World and OpenTV, are taking variable ads a step further by aiming at individual households, a tactic the ad industry calls addressable advertising.

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