NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Is SoBe Lifewater's 3D Super Bowl commericial really as monumental a historical landmark as Thomas Edison's invention of motion pictures themselves? That's the bit of PR color Peter Arnell was trying to weave into a press conference unveiling of the spot yesterday. But, after all, Mr. Arnell, CEO of the Omnicom agency of the same name, has never been one to let hyperbole get in the way of a good product push.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The recession hasn't been kind to iconic motorcycle marketer Harley-Davidson. It's closing some plants and laying off more than a thousand employees. But despite the fact that Harley is moving fewer hogs, there actually are bright spots for some motorcyele brands that have adjusted more quickly to the new realities. At the International Motorcycle Show, we talk with the Motorcycle Industry Council's Ty van Hooydonk.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As part of the World Trade Group's third annual "Future TV Show" conference, Turner Broadcasting's research chief slammed the present-day accuracy of Forrester Research data reports. Speaking on a panel about the future of audience measurement, Jack Wakshlag said a Forrester report about the coming impact of DVRs on the televison business "caused huge damage." He also had some choice words about the methods currently being used to analyze Nielsen audience data.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Taser International, which has long armed law enforcement agencies and military organizations with stun guns, is rapidly expanding its marketing to consumers. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Arizona-based weapons maker unveiled a line of color coordinated stun gun products for fashion-minded female shoppers. EVP of Strategic Communications Nick Pappas noted that crime rises during times of economic crisis and that Taser saw great opportunity in the consumer market.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It cost $3.5 million to produce and became the world's most awarded advertising effort of 2008 but BBDO's "Voyeur" campaign for HBO was no easy task. The agency's David Carter and Brian DiLorenzo appeared at The One Club last week to discuss some of the more non-obvious and headache-generating aspects of the complicated project's production. Voyeur's centerpiece was a massive video projected on the side of a New York City building that 'looked into' eight apartments.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a marketing effort aimed at luring well-heeled consumers back into high-end restaurants, Zagat and sixteen New York City chefs are traveling back in time, sort of. Called the "Vintage Dinner Series," the new campaign has the restaurants serving up historic 19th-century meals for 21st-century prices as high as $575 a head. The menus feature cuts of meat, game and specialty foods like mock turtle soup or baked Alaska that, over the last century, fell out of favor with American diners.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- "There has never been a time in the history of the United States when we've seen a destruction of credit on the magnitude we've had in the last twelve months," said Carl Steidtmann. The chief economist for consumer business at Deloitte Research was speaking at the National Retail Federation Convention last week. His message about the "de-leveraged consumer" and the future of marketing was not an upbeat one.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Which of your body parts do you dislke the most? That question is the central gimmick of a advertising campaign being prepared for the new Broadway show "Reasons to be Pretty." Orchestrated by the SpotCo ad agency, a call went out for "everyday" people to show up at a Manhattan casting call ready to expose their bodies and confess their insecurities. The eight winners are having their parts photographed for the ads.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The current downturn in consumer spending is actually the beginning of a 15-to-20-year period of lower consumer spending in general across the U.S. That's according to Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com. He was looking into his crystal ball for attendees at the National Retail Federation Convention and Expo in Manhattan. He predicted the retail industry would be forced to adjust to new long-term market realities through cost-cutting and downsizing.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In a continuation of our report from the National Retail Federation convention in Manhattan, we look at two specific vendors whose screen systems facilitate digital intervention at point of purchase. Both marketing-communications companies offer interactive juke box and music merchandising services as well as product demonstration and comparison systems. And, both systems pump ad-supported entertainment content to consumers in retail venues.