Network Ad Criteria Smacks of Hypocrisy

 Veggie love didn't exactly sit well withNBC ad execs for this year's Super BowlThe Super Bowl game is history and most viewers not having an Arizona or Pittsburgh zip code will be hard pressed to remember the final score. But the ads that aired on NBC - and some that didn’t make the cut - will be the subject of endless conversation. NBC sold 69 advertising spots for the game to 32 different advertisers, grossing a Super Bowl record $206 million. Each in-game ad sold for between $2.4 million and $3 million per 30-second spot. Given the state of the economy, the figures were nothing short of astounding. Jeff Zucker, president and CEO of NBC Universal, told the AP, “The Super Bowl has become one of our country’s biggest holidays, a uniquely American day, and advertisers recognized the value in being a part of it.” Not all advertisers. General Motors, a major advertiser during prior Super Bowls, took a pass on Super Bowl XLIII after receiving a $13.4 billion bailout from Cong...