Stop, drop the pizza. Bertolli wants consumers to swap a slice for a frozen Italian meal.
 
Launching on Oscar night, the Unilever-owned company is airing a 30-second spot to promote its 12-minute meals and drive traffic to “Into the Heart of Italy,” a mini web series starring Marisa Tomei, Rocco DiSpirito, and Dan Cortese. It is the largest advertising investment by Bertolli, ever. The trio travels to the Italian heartland to experience how the other half eats, with passion and quality ingredients.Continue reading...

For all the wanna-be inventors out there, the “As Seen on TV” infomercial king, AJ Khubani, is holding auditions for the next hottest egg slicer, singing bird clock, fog-free shower mirror or other must-have product to sell on late-night TV.

In true American Idol style, Khubani is taking his quest on the road. Visiting several cities across the country, a panel of judges is giving everyone from toilet brush entrepreneurs to vibrating rake inventors a chance to convince them why Americans simply cannot live without their product.

In a time of emerging social media, why all the buzz over infomercials? For one thing, with an estimated increase of 10 percent of businesses using direct response TV, many small companies are thriving according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal last year.Continue reading...

There is an important debate in publishing that addresses whether or not journalists – and writers of every ilk, for that matter – are capable of being 100 percent objective. They are, after all, human beings. Perhaps with this notion in mind, Burger King recently conducted a taste test for a select group of writers.

Burger King has implemented many changes this year. Though its stock is solid, sales have dropped, inspiring the company to dabble in restaurant makeovers (Burger bars, anyone?) and debut new menu items.

The information session was, of course, purely promotional. Attendees were given the opportunity to interview brand representatives and received swag bags – all of which had no influence on the objectivity of the writers, we presume. Continue reading...

For years, grocery store sampling has been a promotional staple for food companies trying to introduce new products or boost sales of a flagging line. If consumers like what they taste, they may very well purchase the item while shopping. But Kraft's approach to promoting its Athenos brand of hummus ups the ante by moving sampling into restaurants.

Restaurants in three US cities – Atlanta, Chicago and Denver – have been chosen to promote Athenos hummus, which will be served to patrons in bite-size portions. Kraft hopes restaurant diners will like the hummus enough to buy it for home use.Continue reading...

This Sunday the Super Bowl will finally air. Brands will pay $2.6 million for 30-seconds of time during which they need to engage viewers and make an impression. Creativity and uniqueness of message are a must.

Curiously, though, this year the Miller Brewing Company has opted to give away its 30 seconds of ad time. And it's a tremendous idea.

Miller’s purchased commercial time won’t showcase images of its brand, but instead promote small business owners. These small businesses include a barbershop, a music retailer, a baseball memorabilia shop, and a pralines store. Of course, advertising experts and amateurs alike wonder just how much Tim's Baseball Card Shop in Chicago, Ill. will benefit from national exposure. And they’d be missing the point, because the real beneficiary of the commercials is Miller – of course.Continue reading...

When Weatherproof posted a massive billboard – in Times Square – featuring President Barack Obama in one of the brand's jackets, the White House was not amused. Following some wrangling, during which time Weatherproof milked the press for all it was worth, the brand agreed to remove the ad.

So what is the brand doing now that it lost the "endorsement" of a President from Illinois? It's getting the endorsement of another President from Illinois.

A Weatherproof billboard on Las Vegas Boulevard will feature a photoshopped image of President Abraham Lincoln in front of the White House “wearing” one of the brand's jackets. It's the same style President Obama was pictured wearing. The ad, which will run until the end of the month, features the slogan “Fit for a President.”Continue reading...

Does $3 million for one 30-second spot sound like a lot of money to promote your brand during this year’s Super Bowl? Well, if you cram two of your products into one ad, like Diamond Foods is planning, then it’s only $1.5 million per brand.

Where Budweiser might buy separate ads for its flagship lager and its light beer, Diamond is touting two different snacks, Pop Secret and Emerald Nuts, in the same spot. Though AdAge quoted a marketing consultant who scoffed at the idea, saying it would dilute the message of both brands, the two-for-one deal isn’t as outrageous as the ad itself – featuring a zany dolphin trainer imploring a raucous marine park crowd, “Let’s get aquatic!” – plans to be.Continue reading...

PETA's 2010 State of the Union Undress (Safe for Work Version)

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a new awareness commercial out to coincide with President Obama's state of the union address. Can you guess what the theme of the commercial is? If you said "nudity," give yourself a gold star.

PETA's Presidential stripper video is just one of the brand's recent moves to leverage nudity for attention (SFW). In the last couple months alone, PETA campaigns have featured stars from the reality TV series "Real Housewives of New York" and "Dancing with the Stars" and porn superstar Sasha Grey. PETA has been doing this for years, but does it really benefit the brand? Continue reading...