• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 29, 2007

When they said “green” we thought they meant trees, but NBC Universal’s weeklong “Green is Universal” campaign brought in an extra $10 million from national advertisers.

The media company ran special commercial and promotional messages for advertisers during the week of November 4 though 10, all the while plastering green graphics on virtually all its media platforms — NBC network, iVillage, CNBC and MSNBC — as well as offering up special content. Some major advertisers who bought in were Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and NBC parent General Electric.

Everybody from Brian Williams to Access Hollywood got into the act with a hodgepodge of eco-themed shows. But NBC also pulled some unusual stunts such as running a special candlelight-powered Sunday Night Football pre-game show — with Bob Costas, Tiki Barber and Cris Collinsworth shot from those low-level light sources. It was all quite romantic, really.