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Scott Jagow: Last night, the hard-working people of Madison Avenue got together for an awards ceremony. They were honoring the best TV commercials of the year. You hear all the time that TV ads are becoming obsolete. But honestly, those reports seem to be at least somewhat exaggerated. Ashley Milne-Tyte has more.

Ashley Milne-Tyte: Maybe you saw this ad the night of the Superbowl. A guy comes in to an office for an interview. He has a loud coffee stain on his shirt.

Interviewer: So tell me about yourself.

Interviewee: Well, you know I’m an organized person . . . I’m someone who does not leave details . . . out.

The tagline is, “Silence the stain.” That commercial won an award for humor.

Matt Miller is president of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. He says consumers aren’t as jaded as some advertisers fear.

Matt Miller: One of the things Tivo tells us is that if you show good ads, not only will people watch them, they’ll go back and watch them again. People aren’t against advertising. They’re against bad advertising.

He says the 30-second spot is far from dead, and many have a second life on YouTube. And as people watch more video on devices like cell phones, Miller says advertisers should benefit. At least, those who can craft a compelling ad.

In New York, I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.