Don't skip the TV ads: You'll miss the plot

In television's latest quest to discourage viewers from skipping ads, actors from NBC and ABC shows are appearing in character in commercials to interact with products in parallel story lines. This new kind of commercial further blurs the line between program and advertisement and comes as traditional product placements within shows, an early response to fast-forwarding, have become common. A series of spots that debuted this week, for example, weaves Palm's Pre phone more deeply into prime-time dramas' story lines. "It's definitely groundbreaking," said Denise Ocasio, managing partner of MindShare, the marketing firm that helped Sprint create the spots. "It's not a commercial. ... It is an entertainment experience. It's just brought to you by Sprint." But not everyone is pleased. Peter Horton, executive producer of the short-lived NBC drama "The Philanthropist," said ?a dramatized vignette showing characters using Microsoft's Bing search engine to look up things online was confusing to viewers because it sometimes introduced a competing plot line.