Related Summaries

Ad campaigns spanning everything from restaurants, packaged foods, finance, lodging and automotive are increasingly focusing on value paired with low prices. The trend comes in advance of any official word of an economic downturn, in part because marketers already were conscious of consumer concerns over such things as rising fuel prices.

Apparel and cosmetics marketers in India show a preference for lighter skin tones, with billboards and magazine ads featuring models from eastern Europe. This trend reflects a cultural bias toward fair skin as well as the effects of globalization, according to this article.

NBA All-Star guard Dwyane Wade's personal "brand" now includes endorsement deals for T-Mobile, for which he'll appear in a Super Bowl spot with NBA great Charles Barkley, and Gatorade, as well as his own mini-chain of restaurants, a video game and a DVD about his life, per this article.

As has been the case in recent years, many of the current crop of Super Bowl ads are designed to push viewers online. The ads themselves will be available online through many venues, including MySpace, YouTube, Yahoo! and AOL. "Online can extend the 30-second spot into a five- to 10-minute experience and make it have much more impact," said Amy Powell, interactive marketing SVP at Paramount Pictures.