Tide cuts through oil on racetrack in slick commercial

Talk about product placement. Advertisers spend millions to get their brands televised during major sporting events: plastering them on walls, playing surfaces and, at times, even the athletes themselves. But Procter & Gamble recently got a freebie during the Daytona 500 after officials used boxes of Tide laundry detergent to scrub the track after a fiery crash. Known throughout the industry for its marketing chops and no stranger to speedways (Tide-branded cars used to be a familiar sight on the NASCAR circuit), P&G seized on the unexpected testimonial with a clever commercial that showed footage of Tide being thrown onto the oil-slicked pavement, along with the following caption: “You keep inventing stains. We’ll keep inventing ways to get them out.” In professional sports, commentators often remark that you have to be good to be lucky. Turns out the same is true of advertising.