According to AdAge, NBC charged $100,000 for a 30-second commercial during the last show of Katie Couric on the Today show - That’s about twice as much as what their usual rates are.

I’ve seen several commercials on NBC for Hannaford Brothers (Delhaize America) as well as Shaw’s (Albertsons, uhm, I mean, SuperValu) and every so often for Wal-Mart as well.

Fifty grand is a lot of money to spend for a 30 second ad. Do you think they are more effective than running in-store promotions that actually pass on to consumers as ’savings’?

What about for suppliers? Do some retailers make you pay partially for these generic commercials (particularly if your product is shown)? Do you find them more effective than in-store promotions?