Christmas gifts were all about grown-ups, in post-war America

Dec 16, 2016
Sarah Archer explores Christmas gift giving in post-war America in her book, "Midcentury Christmas."
A holiday advertisement for Westinghouse, 1950s. Reproduced with permission.
CBS Corporation

Big Soda and the rise of product placement

Nov 21, 2016
Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi transformed product placement into an art, rather than just an incidental opportunity for advertising.
A general view of a new Coca-Cola aluminum bottle during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 at Bryant Park on February 16, 2009 in New York City. 
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The Coca Cola Company

Southwest Airlines revives 'Wanna Get Away' campaign

Sep 7, 2016
Southwest is trying to bring attention to its low fares by bringing back an old slogan.
An old Southwest campaign is making a comeback.
Courtesy Southwest Airlines.
An aerial view of the Christ The Redeemer statue (F) and the Maracana Stadium (B) on November 12, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Broadcast networks unveil a new season of failing up

May 19, 2016
At the Upfront, ad rates are expected to rise as audiences continue to fall.
"Making History," a time-traveling comedy, will air on Fox next year.
Image via Fox/YouTube

Will college football playoffs change New Year's Eve?

Dec 31, 2015
ESPN hopes people will cheer their favorite teams as well as the new year.

Must see TV: the business of sweeps month

Oct 30, 2015
Time for a cliffhanger or two as shows roll out their buzziest moments.

For public good, not for profit.

Product placement: An ad you can't skip

Sep 11, 2015
At least the more subtle 'brand integration' won't make you groan ... or will it?

Big data is following you

Jul 20, 2015
Cookies let retailers compile a dossier on shoppers — and resend the same ads.

NFL accepted millions in taxpayer dollars to honor military

May 11, 2015
The NFL proves itself to be greedier than the greediness it has already demonstrated. News broke this weekend that at least some of those ceremonies honoring the troops you’ve seen at games the past several years have been paid advertisements. Paid advertisements funded by taxpayer money.  To cite just one example, the New York Jets got $337,000 from the […]