Vertical stripes - pinstripes even - are supposed to have a slimming effect. On the flip side, wearing horizontal stripes or hoops does the opposite, making you look a bit wider than you actually are. These theories have been put to the test, but the best evidence may come courtesy of this new This is SportsCenter ad. 

CC Sabathia is having a casual conversation with Steve Levy about how regardless of his performance he knows he'll look good thanks to his pinstripes. Scott Van Pelt interrupts, showing off his new suit with horizontal stripes. Oh, and he might have put on a few pounds. Make that a few hundred pounds. 

ESPN does a lot of things wrong, but when it comes to things such as "30 for 30" or This is SportsCenter commercials, they do a tremendous job. 

This Xfinity OnDemand ad is so bad I am going to do this in bullets.

- The satellite dish around the dude's neck - too hyperbolic
- People lifting weights are normally not talking to each other
- And if they are talking to each other, it's probably not about cable
- Using "man up" as an insult in this context does not work.
- The woman at the end, I just can't

So let's see, we have irrelevant situation + awkward jokes + crappy metaphor = horrible ad (times XFINITY)...I'll show myself out.

If you watched the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, one commercial might have caught your attention in a sea of ads for various upcoming movies and beauty products. A distorted, black and white ad was directed at the people of Earth from General Zod (Kneel before Zod!), villain of Man of Steel due out on June 14th. Zod demanded that the people of Earth turn over Superman or risk annihilation while directing a similar message to Superman himself. 

It takes something truly creative and unique to break through the clutter, especially during a show as polluted with advertisements as an awards show. Man of Steel accomplished this feat with a fuzzy, intergalactic broadcast that looked like an ad for a horror movie as opposed to an upcoming superhero thriller.

Is it cheesy? Maybe. Still, it's different and that's all anyone can hope for when it comes to advertising.

9:30pm: Tonight's Mad Men features Don Draper right where we like him: in a fresh affair, running through ad pitches to big companies, and drinking himself slowly into the grave. Episode 603 is titled "The Collaborators," and Don's collaborators continue to ignore him as he starts his downward spiral. The finances of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce have never been better, so why should his colleagues care if he ruined a pitch by advocating suicide? Megan's career has never been hotter, so why should she care that Don's having another affair? The only one in the world that could understand and help Don is Peggy, and she's too busy building her career with Ted Chaough.

On the bright side, it's time for more compelling minor storylines tonight. We're hopefully clear of Betty and Megan for a while -- Betty's put in her time in the storyline with a bore de force in Episodes 601 and 602, while Megan was a lot more interesting when she was failing to build a career. The Internet rumors state that Alison Brie is coming back tonight as Trudy Campbell, so we'l hopefully learn how Pete Campbell's separate apartment in Manhattan is working out. My guess is that he'll keep trying to match Don in more ways than one.

You wouldn't expect the words "Kmart" and "viral" to be put together in a single sentence and have it mean something good for the discount store chain superpower.  Alas, Kmart's latest commercial starring a number of people being thrilled at their ability to have items shipped to them has gone viral all over the internet, Twitter, and Facebook pages.  

Whoop-de-do, right?  I mean, what could be the big deal about free shipping?

The genius of this Kmart spot is how the message is delivered.  When you see a number of people excited about "shipping their pants" it becomes an instant classic...

It was always a special day when you were sent to school with Lunchables. While other kids suffered through their boring bologna or frightening ham and cheese loaf sandwiches, you could sit back and assemble one of the many varieties of Lunchables. From the standard crackers, meat and cheese packs to the more exuberant pizza creations, lunch was never dull with a Lunchable. 

There was just one problem. Not all Lunchables were created equal. While some stood the test of time (the pizza ones are to this day still pretty solid, FYI), others fell by the wayside. Consider the burger and hot dog versions featured in the commercial above.

AT&T has released a new video that highlights some of the outtakes from the "Bigger is better" commercial featuring Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. It turns out that numerous ideas were originally on the table and that there was a ton of footage left on the cutting room floor. AT&T wisely decided to upload some of that footage to YouTube for all of our enjoyment.

It's nice to see all four men appeared to enjoy shooting this commercial, but Bill Russell might have had the most fun of anyone involved. Bird also has an incredibly tough time saying his lines which led to a rather humorous take where he grunts all of his responses. 

(H/T Pro Basketball Talk)

Recently we discussed the latest ad from Progressive where the company shouts "Let's Get Ready to Bundle" through your TV's speakers. One Cincinnati attorney took this message to heart and created a parody where he  challenges Flo in the boxing ring. 

Blake Maislin, a personal injury attorney, challenged Flo in the ring, demonstrating how he'll fight for you against your insurance company. The commercial features an actress that actually looks quite a bit like Flo, complete with her outfit and hairstyle. Obviously, Maislin couldn't use the word Progressive in his spot, but his rendition of Flo is pretty spot on. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Progressive takes exception once they see this as there's really no doubting who the ad is portraying. As if him punching out Flo wasn't enough, the commercial ends with Maislin punching a familiar gecko from GEICO.