Super Bowl Ad With Tebow Might Do Well With Tolerance Theme by David Goetzl

It wouldn't surprise if Tim Tebow popped up in a Super Bowl ad Sunday. Not one for a faith-based organization as he did several years ago, but for a proud brand. Knowing how some advertisers try to tap into the zeitgeist, the fascination with Tebow would seem to make him an ideal candidate. And, his success took off early enough in the fall for a brand to plan a spot worthy of the big game. Ah, but Tebow is too polarizing, right? His public displays of his religious beliefs make it too much of a risk for a marketer? It ...Read the whole story

  • beverages Pepsi Brings Amaro, Elton John, Philbin To Bowl by Karlene Lukovitz

    Flagship Pepsi's "King's Court" features 201's "The X Factor" winner Melanie Amaro singing for a "royal court of rock," including "king" Elton John. Amaro sings a contemporized version of the Aretha Franklin classic "Respect." ...Read the whole story

  • PrecisionDemand Signs Rentrak Ratings by Wayne Friedman

    PrecisionDemand, the new cross-media analytical service that maximizes TV buying for marketers, has struck an agreement with Rentrak Corp. for its key ratings service. PrecisionDemand's deal is for Rentrak's TV Essentials and StationView Essentials, which are census-based TV ratings services ...Read the whole story

  • New Sponsors Join 'Celebrity Apprentice' For 12th Season by Wayne Friedman

    One of the original big-ticket branded entertainment-connected TV shows, "Celebrity Apprentice" has announced a new slate of in-show sponsors: food company Kraft, drug retailer, Walgreens and confectionary brand M&Ms. ...Read the whole story

  • research Digital Hispanics Are Best Multitaskers by Karl Greenberg

    the LMX Hispanic study, a yearly poll of 2000 U.S. Hispanic digital respondents by Ipsos MediaCT, found that digital Hispanics now spend 42% of their media time multitasking -- meaning they are more likely than the general population to do things like combine TV viewing with online behavior. ...Read the whole story

  • financial services Century 21 Preps For Super Bowl by Tanya Irwin

    Century 21 Real Estate has released three teaser videos for its debut Super Bowl commercial. Available on the Parsippany, N.J.-based company's Facebook page, each video features one of the three stars -- Donald Trump, Deion Sanders and Apolo Ohno -- who will be appearing in the third-quarter ad. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Leno, Seinfeld Want Acura's NSX by Karl Greenberg

    The Super Bowl campaign includes a pre-game release of a 1-minute 50-second extended version of "Transactions," PR initiatives, search, seeding and paid media placements. The commercial will be featured in Acura dealerships. ...Read the whole story

  • Kia, Sprint, Starbucks Give 'Voice' To Sponsorships by David Goetzl

    NBC has signed Kia, Sprint and Starbucks as top-line sponsors for "The Voice," the singing competition that became a surprise hit last year. It makes its Season Two debut after the Super Bowl Sunday. All three will have brand integration and related digital opportunities, starting with the post- Super Bowl broadcast and beyond. ...Read the whole story

  • Pac-12 Aligns Digital Nets With TV, Aufhauser Named Digital GM by Steve McClellan

    Pac-12 Enterprises has hired David Aufhauser as vice president and general manager of digital media. The hire comes as the subsidiary of the Pac-12 college conference is preparing to launch a series of new sports networks to showcase the teams of its participating schools. The digital network will be aligned with TV networks Fox and ESPN, enabling the conference to distribute more events. ...Read the whole story

  • Angel Annussek; truTV by Amy Corr

    Angel Annussek has been promoted to vice president of original programming for truTV. ...Read the whole story

You CAN Advertise Digital TV Shows On Cable TV -- If You Have The Right Business Model by Wayne Friedman

Are you marketing an original TV show on the Internet -- and hoping to get an audience of a decent size? You need to advertise on TV. At least that's what those behind Glenn Beck's digital video efforts seem to think. ...More

  • 'Downton Abbey' Vs. 'Upstairs Downstairs' by Gary Holmes

    We shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that "Downton Abbey," which this season dramatizes the effect of World War I on the aristocratic Crawley family and its retainers, is as good as "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men," "The Wire" or other recent great television series. It's not even in the same league as "Upstairs Downstairs," to which it is frequently compared. "Downton Abbey" is to "Upstairs Downstairs" as "Dallas" is to "Friday Night Lights." One is a serious drama and the other is a romp. ...More

  • Give Viewers What They Really Want: Much Less by Wayne Friedman

    Less programming usually means more viewers -- especially for sports and reality shows. ESPN is reporting that, through 14 NBA games, its total viewers are up 21%, to 2.1 million. And its numbers are 31% higher among 18-49ers -- a 1.7 average rating so far. The NBA, in the midst of a shortened season, seems to have pushed viewers to climb on board for what has been called a "sprint" finish. ...More