David Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS joined the trend of “live” commercials Thursday night. Just before the nightly “Top 10 List,” Letterman presented a “special message from Mazda.” A video featured announcer Alan Kalter showing off a Mazda 6 outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. The bit ended, as many of Kalter’s do, with him being beaten up by the Mazda’s owner. Afterwards, Letterman assured viewers Kalter was OK, and threw to a normal commercial break. Advertisers are looking for ways to keep viewers from fast forwarding or changing channels during commercial breaks and “live” ads and messages that feature members of a program’s cast are two tactics from the medium’s olden days again being offered by networks. Later in the show, guest Bruce Willis pulled keys to a Saturn from inside a turkey he was preparing to cook. That probably wasn’t a product placement.
—Jon Lafayette