The much-anticipated series finale of ABC’s LOST on May 23, which dominated blogosphere chatter and was the most-watched primetime program of the night with an average 13.6 million viewers, also delivered a highly engaging environment for its advertisers.

With curtailed consumer spending widely forecast this holiday season, retailers might be expected to concentrate their TV ads on hard-hitting sale messaging aimed at price-conscious viewers.
But according to an analysis of the most effective holiday retail TV ads, released Tuesday by Nielsen IAG, retailers did not appear to increase the proportion of promotional ads in the mix this year. 
About half of all TV ads so far this holiday season (Nov. 17 – Dec. 14) have been brand-focused, while the other half have been devoted to sales/price-focused messages — as was the case during the 2007 …