Oprah. Dave. And Jay!
In 2007, the last time CBS aired the Super Bowl, the network aired one of the best ads of the game: Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman sharing a couch (see below).
Three years later, the network has struck again. This time, Letterman once more shared a couch with Winfrey… and Jay Leno.
RELATED: Dave wanted Conan for Super spot, too
The network managed to take advantage of years of hostility between Dave and Jay by having Leno appear on the same couch as Dave, with Oprah begging the two men to play nice.
The spot was shot Tuesday night in New York. All three showbiz icons were in the same room.
The ad featured Letterman doing his Leno impression… and Jay looking on with a disgusted expression. Winfrey tries her best to keep the peace.
The spot was a brilliant move by CBS: Dave, who had looked almost cruel in his mocking of Leno, comes off as a good sport.
Ditto Leno, who's in serious need of image repair after the Coco debacle.
"We challenged them to top thelselves. And they did," CBS Corp. marketing mogul George Schweitzer told TheWrap Sunday.
The idea for the ad came from the Letterman brain trust, insiders said. Dave's reps contacted Team Leno about cutting the spot.
Once Leno agreed, NBC officials were made aware of the plan — and obviously had no issues with free promotion on the year's biggest TV event.
"It's positive for all three (of the personalities), and for broadcast as well," a Peacock insider said.
It's been a good game for the Eye so far. An "NCIS" spot featuring lots of "head slaps" elicited plenty of laughs at MoJoe central.
But with this spot? CBS may have just won the Ad Bowl.
