The latest TV spot for Pepsi MAX reveals the real reason why NFL great Barry Sanders retired: so he can play football in EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25. Earlier this year Pepsi MAX and EA SPORTS teamed up for the cover vote of Madden NFL 25. Sanders bested 64 players, to win the cover. The game hits stores on August 27. In "Disappearing Sanders," the football great is getting a shave at his local barbershop when the topic of his retirement comes up. As he’s about to reveal the big …

Toshiba readies students for college. Foot Locker unlocks "Harden Soul." Let's launch!

Random iPhone App of the week: Porsche Cars North America launched an iPhone app to introduce car enthusiasts to the revamped 2014 Porsche Cayman. The Code of the Curve app offers driving challenges to help individuals who don’t own a Cayman get a feel for what it’s like to drive one. Using the accelerometer and GPS technology of the iPhone to record performance metrics, users can compete with other drivers for the top places on the lederboard, or record their favorite day-to-day drives to share on social media. The driving challenges were …

I never get tired of visiting New Orleans. For every activity or food I check off my “to-do” list, I leave adding more, so the list never gets smaller. The New Orleans Tourism Marketing launched a national campaign to show potential visitors that there’s so much more to the city than the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. "Follow Your NOLA" depicts the culture, history and music that make New Orleans a spectacular city. The iconic fleur-de-lis symbol is the compass that guides visitors on a journey for great music, architecture, food and …

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis sound a horn in the forest and the hipsters come running in an ad for the MTV VMA Awards, airing Sunday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. With Brooklyn as this year’s hub, what better use of a song in all promo ads than "No Sleep till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys? See it here, directed by Seyi Peter-Thomas of Station Film. Additional promo ads feature Katy Perry emerging from a manhole cover to lead a group down to the Brooklyn subway line and Miley …

This martial arts expert keeps busy while getting his hair highlighted in “Karate,” the latest TV spot for Southern Comfort’s “Whatever’s Comfortable” campaign. I’m impressed that with all his movements, his foil never fell out. If I look down at my phone the wrong way, my foil loosens. “Karate” launched this week in Australia with a global rollout to follow. In it, a martial arts aficionado displays his skills to women at a hair salon waiting for their hair to dry or color to take. Our character has no problem …

Even in retirement, Ahab is haunted by Moby Dick. Back in 2012, Audi reimagined Herman Melville's “Moby Dick” with an overworked towtruck driver in wintry conditions, and the elusive Audi Quattro as the only vehicle he’s unable to hook. In “Ahab Redux,” our tow truck driver has retired to a deserted tropical island where his tow truck is now stranded in a large sand dune. Despite the warm weather and idyllic location, our driver remains haunted by the Audi Quattro. He dreams of Quattro, sees tire tracks in the sand …

When you’re hot and endorsements deals roll in, you’ve got to strike while the getting’s good. That’s why James Harden of the Houston Rockets dabbled with a singing career. In an amusing spot for Foot Locker, Harden, coming off a career year on the court, tries his luck off the court as a singer to keep things fresh. Harden’s pal, Stephen Curry, storms the music booth to convince him not to sing and to keep things fresh by visiting Foot Locker for the latest athletic gear. Harden starts to see the light …

Ah, college. That time of your life when you had to buy a mini refrigerator, extra-long twin sheets and wonder when your dorm room last received a thorough cleaning. Toshiba launched three back-to-school-themed videos, targeting college students shopping for tech devices for the school year. “Chicken Prank,” begins like a kill scene from “Dexter” with a college guy covered in plastic wrap on his bed. He’s unable to move and there’s live chickens flying around. The guy is able to use his big toe to swipe his computer screen  (thank …

I see what you’re doing here, Kraft, promoting your Recipe Makers meals with a “Get your chef together” tagline. It’s like a foodie version of Kmart’s “Ship my pants.” Each Recipe Makers contains two complimentary sauces and a recipe, turning your average cook into the next big chef. The campaign stars two celebrity chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Carla “Hootie Hoo” Hall as dinner judges. The chef’s adult heads are placed on children’s bodies, making each kid sound like an impressed critic to mom or dad’s meal. Dad prepares three-cheese chicken Florentine in …