• New York Times, Wednesday, August 4, 2010 10:49 AM

Stuart Elliot takes a look at the season-long sponsorship deal reached between the "Mad Men" TV show and Unilever, which is creating six chronologically correct commercials for brands that date back to the days of the three-martini lunch.

The vignette-style spots for Dove, Breyers, Hellmann's, Klondike, Suave and Vaseline will air during all 13 episodes of the current season and will also be on a YouTube channel, Facebook and other Web sites.

Each commercial will feature a copywriter and an art director trying to create an ad for each brand in 1964, followed by a current spot for the product from its regular agency. The goal is to "celebrate their heritage," says Kathy O'Brien, vp for marketing for Unilever's personal care products, in a way that is "culturally and contextually relevant."

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