NBC Universal has inked a deal with MasterCard that will put the credit card company deep into NBC's new police drama "Life." The net will air a series of "pod buster" commercials from MasterCard during the 10 p.m. show that give clues to the past of its lead character and the crime for which he was once jailed. The spots end by directing viewers to NBC.com if they want more info on the back-story, and that too will be sponsored by MasterCard. "This is a great example of how we can partner with our clients to extend their marketing messages …

TV ads can actually reduce consumer sensitivity to price differences, according to data from the Apollo pilot project that tracks media and shopping habits. A new study that mixes media-exposure info from Arbitron's Portable People Meters with purchase data from Nielsen's Homescan consumer panel says that exposure to TV ads decreases the tendency to react to price changes. The study, which involved an unnamed "Brand X," broke subjects down into heavy, medium and light purchasers, and found that the heavy ones were most likely to have their price sensitivity reduced by exposure to TV ads. And the more ads, the …

Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia have put their media planning and buying accounts into review, and media management firm World Marketing Group has tapped Roth Associates to oversee the process. Incumbent Carat will be an automatic finalist, and the shop says it hopes to hang on to the business. "We are confident that with Roth Associates supporting the review, WMG will have the best opportunity to select the right media agency to help us meet strategic needs for Hyundai and Kia, growing brands in the North American market," says William Lee, chief operating officer of WMG. Total U.S. media spending …

CVS Caremark has rolled out a national TV effort to rebrand its CVS pharmacy chain in a $25 million campaign to celebrate the role of women as caregivers. The new spots, tagged "For All the Ways You Care," are airing in programming aimed at the 35-and-over female demo that includes "Dancing with the Stars," "Brothers and Sisters," and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." The drugstore's research shows that "women find enjoyment and reward in their roles as caregivers, despite sacrifices," says Helena Foulkes, senior vice president of marketing and operation services for CVS. "This campaign is an opportunity to celebrate these …

Sunday supplement Parade is rolling out single-topic pullout sections it hopes will appeal to ad categories like automotive, financial services and corporate branding, where it feels it is not getting its fair share of the action. "Parade Selects" will be single-sponsor and aimed at companies with multiple brands, but will be produced by its own editorial staff and under its control. Clorox is sponsoring the first, set for Oct. 14 and titled "Your Healthy Home." The 16-pager will have stories on such topics as cold prevention and comfort foods, and Clorox will use it to tout seven of its household …

Fox is turning to dysfunctional animated families next season, developing at least three projects. Among them are an animated version of its 2003 live-action comedy "The Pitts" by Simpson vet Mike Scully and "Relative Insanity," to be produced by Jack Black. Also on tap is "Mothballs," from the creators of "Drawn Together." The net has ordered up two scripts for "Pitts," and it could be sent straight to series, skipping the usual months-long process. The live-action version, about the unluckiest family in the world, lasted just four weeks before being canceled by Fox. But Scully kept pitching it nonetheless. "It …

Terminix has tapped Publicis, Dallas for its ad account after a review, insiders say--with the shop topping out GSD&M's Idea City in the final round. The move comes after a restructuring by the exterminator, which was acquired as part of a leveraged buyout of parent ServiceMaster, and the arrival of a new chief marketing officer at Terminix. The company spent $19.3 million on media last year, and $14.7 million in the first half of this one, according to data from TNS Media Intelligence. Incumbent Stone Ward in Little Rock, Ark. had the Terminix business for nearly 10 years and did …

AMC is hoping that "Mad Men" can do without Madison Avenue for at least a night. In the show's season finale, the net will create an opening that names DirecTV as the only sponsor of a commercial-free episode, and then roll a mini-documentary about the show's wrap party with the satellite company again as the only named sponsor. While it seems odd for a drama set in the world of early 1960s agency culture to be ad-free for an evening, its backers say they hope they can eventually keep it that way all the time. And considering its audience …

Media buyers are taking a mixed approach to the launch of the new Fox Business Network, with some ready to jump right in and others taking a more cautious approach. Among the former is Shari Cohen, co-president of national broadcast at media buyer MindShare North America. "We have been trying to be preemptive in figuring out the best way to get in on the ground floor," says Cohen, with the agency having "active conversations" about how client Ameriprise Financial can use it. She also expects FBN to price aggressively from the outset: "I don't think they're going to give the …

"Kid Nation," a CBS reality program that initially scared off some advertisers due to criticism of its kids-alone premise, has almost tripled its sponsor roll since it premiered--even as its audience shrinks. In the last episode, some marketers that had first shied away jumped on board. New buys from McDonald's, PetSmart, Lysol and T-Mobile upped the number of advertisers supporting the show to more than 20. But as they come in, they are reaching a diminishing number of eyeballs. According to Nielsen, the third episode of "Kid Nation" drew 7.4 million viewers--down from 7.6 million the week before and …