commercial

News

People Aren't Watching Commercials During Popular Shows

TV networks, don't hate me — but I barely ever watch commercials.

TV networks, don't hate me — but I barely ever watch commercials. This is probably because my DVR is always full, so whenever I do watch a show, I feel the need to quickly get through it as fast as possible so I can delete it and move on to the next one!

A majority of you said that you occasionally watch commercials even with a DVR, but did you know that nearly all shows that won Emmys this year are more likely to have their commercials skipped over? That's right, according to the New York Times, 30 Rock was the only exception among the group (which was blamed on NBC's creative ad placements).

Why does this happen? Well, Todd Juenger, TiVo's vice president for research and measurement, seems to think that people don't want to
sit through commercials of hit shows they are really wrapped up in. . . which totally makes sense.

Where do you stand on this? Do you fast-forward through commercials during shows that you are completely sucked into? And if you don't have a DVR — but hate commercials — here's how you can skip over ads using a standard remote.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Brooks

Running Is the New Currency

Brooks wants you to run, and now they're encouraging your kids to run too.

Brooks wants you to run, and now they're encouraging your kids to run too. This may seem cruel, but it sure gets those kids moving. Too bad there aren't cheesecake trucks or bacon-wrapped scallop trucks because this could totally work for grown-ups too!

Running

Marathon Nipple Stand?

Brooks wants you to love running, but the brand realizes that there are some unpleasantries tied to the sport.

Brooks wants you to love running, but the brand realizes that there are some unpleasantries tied to the sport. So they're offering free nipple taping. How sweet of them to want to help out. After seeing the commercial below, all I can say is thank god for sports bras.

News

Daily Tech: Facebook Is Popular . . . Everywhere

Here's a visual of how many people across the world use Facebook — TechCrunch Sony's new PlayStation 3 commercials are actually kinda funny — Gizmodo These games are educational and you have a fun time playing them — Green Pixels AT&T and Apple are getting sued for not being accurate about MMS launch dates — CrunchGear China finally gets the iPhone, but it comes without WiFi — Wired Here are some under $100 computer speaker suggestions — Switched

Rachel Zoe

I Go Bananas: Rachel Zoe In Microsoft Bing Commercial

A woman of many (or not so many) words, fashionista Rachel Zoe is kind of a big deal around here.

A woman of many (or not so many) words, fashionista Rachel Zoe is kind of a big deal around here. I'm already tracking all of her tech habits and imagining what fashion-forward gadget gear she should be adding to her collection. Did you happen to catch the season opener of The Rachel Zoe Project the other night? Aside from the many MacBook and BlackBerry appearances, RZ was featured in a commercial for Microsoft's newest search engine — Bing! Here's the clip of her and her hubby Roger trying to figure out where to go for dinner.

And to watch Rachel and Brad (I die!) in another Bing ad, just read more

Poll

Are Your Parents Becoming More Tech Savvy?

Are the tides slowly changing?

Are the tides slowly changing? Whereas just months ago we were commiserating about being our parents' tech support (not to mention guffawing over cartoon dads asking computer questions), it seems now that more and more parents are joining social networks like Facebook. My mom recently asked me if she should start tweeting, and she's dying for an iPhone, intrigued that her phone could do more than just make calls.

Verizon's latest commercial makes the most of this role reversal — the two kids are seen pestering their parents about spending too much time on their cell phones updating Twitter and Facebook. It's a satire, but becoming truer all the time.

Tell me, are your parents starting to become more tech savvy?

Apple

Mary J. Blige For AT&T: Better Than the iPod Ad?

Celebrities? Endorsing gadgets? Don't act like I haven't said those words in the same sentence before!

Celebrities? Endorsing gadgets? Don't act like I haven't said those words in the same sentence before! R&B/hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige is back after taking a little tech hiatus following her iPod+iTunes commercial, and is showing off three smartphones from AT&T: the LG Neon, the Motorola Karma, and the LG Xenon. Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) her new single "The One" is playing in the background as she texts on the cell phones.

And just because I love comparing commercials as much as I do, I couldn't help but notice some similarities between her AT&T commercial and the Apple commercial. Which one do you like better?


Video games

Wii Sports Resort Commercial Gets Me Excited For the Game

I know, I included Wii Sports Resort in my August must-haves list and already asked you if you were planning on picking up the game.

I know, I included Wii Sports Resort in my August must-haves list and already asked you if you were planning on picking up the game. But, after watching Nintendo's new Wii Sports Resort commercial, which starts airing today, I'm really excited to go kayaking and play ping-pong —who knew?! And don't even get me started about the addition of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which is said to track a player's movements in finer detail. I may just work up more of a sweat with this game than with EA Sports Active. . . looking forward to seeing how accurate it really is!

Poll

What Do You Think of the Tamara Hope Palm Pre Ads?

The Pre, Palm's latest smartphone, is a pretty cool phone, with its attractive exterior and sleek OS, but its ads are another story.

The Pre, Palm's latest smartphone, is a pretty cool phone, with its attractive exterior and sleek OS, but its ads are another story. Where the first commercial featuring actress Tamara Hope was pretty epic, with a serene Buddhist scene, the most recent ads are a bit mind-boggling. In one, Hope talks of going with the flow, and more bizarrely, she admits that the Pre can do something cooler than let her read her email: it reads her mind.

I'm a little weirded out. But maybe I'm just used to my cell phone ads incorporating some catchy pop song and knee-jerk editing and I need to slow down and appreciate Hope's Zen-like attitude about her phone. What do you think of the ads?


Poll

Which Is Hotter: New Palm Pre or iPhone 3G S Commercial?

Regardless how you feel about the actual device (even though I know a majority of you are in the market for a new iPhone 3G S), take a gander at these fresh new commercials for the Palm Pre and iPhone 3G S, and let me know which one grabs your attention more.

Regardless how you feel about the actual device (even though I know a majority of you are in the market for a new iPhone 3G S), take a gander at these fresh new commercials for the Palm Pre and iPhone 3G S, and let me know which one grabs your attention more. Normally I don't sit on the fence, but with this one, I'm loving the dramatic Buddhist monk Pre commercial, but think Apple nailed it too with their suspenseful Star Trek meets Mission Impossible II-style clip. What do you think?