Have you seen the latest Obama ad? The latest McCain ad?

If you have, take note of where you saw it. It seems that it is increasingly unlikely you saw the ad during a commercial break.

According to the AP:

"Barack Obama's and John McCain's presidential campaigns are peddling campaign videos as advertising even though they are getting little commercial air time..."

There's a couple great quotes within reporter Jim Kuhnhenn's story from Evan Tracey (the head of a firm that tracks TV ads). Here's one:

"What you have now is that the campaigns say, 'Hey, (MSNBC's) Morning Joe is a food fight, let's supply the tomatoes."

I'm not entirely sure whether or not this is significant, but it is worth noting that a candidate gets more bang for their buck creating ads that cable news will run endlessly, even if a campaign never intends to buy advertising time... throw in youtube, and you wonder how many people it can reach for free.

As cable news stations continue to rely on commentators as ratings earners, to what extent does editorial control amount to free advertising? If Fox News runs a segment asking "Is this McCain ad fair?" and then concludes that the ad is fair, does it matter that the ad isn't appearing regularly on TV in any other forum? If MSNBC does the same with an Obama ad, does it trouble you more if the ad is discussed on their non-biased news coverage versus a program anchored by Keith Olberman? What if if the ad never ran during a commercial break of a regularly scheduled program?

Products get placed into movies all the time, so it is also worth noting exactly who has editorial power on cable news these days. Fox News has been accused of relaying partisan "talking points" to on-air talent or production staff... Michael Moore accused Sanjay Gupta of skewing the facts in a report on the documentary "Sicko" in order to appease the major sponsors of CNN's medical coverage. The selling of the news isn't exactly new, nor is using the news as entertainment (thanks Roone Alderidge), but to what extent do advertisers have control over what's on in between commercial breaks?

So, the next time you watch a campaign ad during a news program, perhaps it might be time to flick on over to a good old fashioned, honest, hardworking infomercial with American values.

Wendy's Gets Viral with Crazy Lettuce

Wendy's is getting into the game of viral marketing. Historically a company that appeals to an older demographic, Wendy's is looking to YouTube and MySpace for a lift. The video features a "crazy lettuce" that devours meat, and is targeting serious meat eaters that Wendy's refers to as 'meatatarians.' See for yourself...



There is no formula for creating a video that will catch fire among online communities. Some say that it needs to have some 'shock' value. Consumers' skepticism of big business makes it even more challenging for companies to succeed with viral marketing campaigns. That's not to say it's impossible.

In the end, it comes down to the question...does the video inspire you to share with others?

Personally, the Wendy's video doesn't make me want to email my friends. What do you think of 'Crazy Lettuce?'

Wendy's Takes First Stab At Viral Video With 'Crazy Lettuce' [AdAge]

Holy Crap--4 million people watch The HIlls

Season 4 of MTV's The Hills started this month, and picked up where it left off in May--hypnotizing a huge viewership with inane content and massaging those eyeballs with advertising--lots of it. The premier reached 3.48 million viewers, not counting those watching streaming video on MTV. com. (For your reference, the NFL preseason game on ESPN attracted the same size audience). The half hour premiere included an 8-minute block of advertising in addition to the traditional advertising slots. With TIVO, it's arguably the shortest 30-minute show in television history.

If you're not among the 4 million or so people who watch the Hills each week, let me give you a rundown (it shouldn't take long). The reality show follows a group of overprivileged twenty somethings around LA as they navigate life's biggest challenges (entry level jobs, shortlived relationships, backstabbing friends, and getting free bottle service at LA's top clubs). Many find it hard to buy into the "reality" of it all, as the show's characters routinely find themselves in "spontaneous" encounters with their enemies.

Why do we watch this show? For those looking for new options, Date My Ex is in the competing time slot on Bravo.

The Hills Draws Demos as MTV Tries Out Mega Pod [Mediaweek.com]

Bloggers Blast Microsoft on Seinfeld Decision

Will the success of Microsoft's Seinfeld campaign mimic that of the puffy shirt?

Andy Katz 360 was not the only blog to take some swings at Microsoft. Adweek pointed out that the blogosphere was uber-critical of Microsoft's decision to sign Jerry Seinfeld for its new ad campaign. Gawker and Maelstrom chimed in with knocks on Microsoft's decision. Pulse of Hollywood added,

"Microsoft doesn't like being 'cast as a stodgy oldster' by Apple's advertising and has turned to Jerry Seinfeld. Oh, so they want to be cast as late-middle-age almost stodgy oldster."

Maybe we are all being a bit premature with our criticism. The campaign has not even been launched yet. When the dust clears, Jerry and Microsoft could be masters of the tech domain.

Grapple in the Apple

With the U.S. Open starting next week, Nike is launching an ad campaign focusing on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The two are on top of the sport, and recently played in a classic five-set battle at Wimbledon that some are calling the greatest match in tennis history.

The ad features boxing promoter Don King and pits to the two athletes against each other as if they were about to face off in the ring.

It seems like a good idea. Federer and Nadal have the tennis world wrapped around their fingers. But, with any ad campaign that focuses on athletes there is always a risk that they will be eliminated early in the tournament. The risk is even higher when you pit two against each other.

Nike gambled and won when it ran this Sampras/Agassi ad in 1995, and the two met in the U.S. Open finals.



More recently, they have taken this risk off the table by focusing on ummmmm non-athletic qualities of one of its tennis stars.

What's the deal with Windows?

Jerry Seinfeld will appear in a new Microsoft campaign, promoting all elements of Microsoft's Windows platform. The campaign will likely use some variation of the phrase "Windows, Not Walls."

I can't help but think Lil Jon would have been a more appropriate spokesman: