Strapped Networks Air Ads for Booze, Sex in Prime Time

The airwaves are getting a lot more mature. On Sunday, 15 cities saw an Absolut Vodka ad during the Grammy Awards, the first time in years that a liquor commercial has run in prime time on a network-owned station. Other ads not suitable for innocent ears (K-Y Jelly, anyone?) are surfacing elsewhere in prime time for one reason: With the recession in full swing, media outlets can’t be as picky, the LA Times reports.

Ads promoting extramarital affairs that would have been dismissed as inappropriate a year ago are now finding their way onto more and more networks, and billboard operators are suddenly amenable to strip clubs. Meanwhile, Google, Facebook, and the NBA have all loosened restrictions on liquor ads. “We're looking at a different world than we were three years ago,” said one ad salesman. “We’re looking at a number of new categories.” (More advertising stories.)