So, commercials. Commercials, in my opinion, are the best barometers of the cultural moment we have available to us. How people sell or promote stuff works around the retail Golden Rule: "Give the people what they want." Nobody, not even the long reach of Uncle Sam can understand better what people want then advertisers and their ilk.
That being said, the connection to poetry works like this:
Commercials need to "sound appealing" - principles like alliteration, creative word choice, emphatic pauses and most commonly metaphors and compelling or startling images come into play both in well-designed commercials and well-written poetry. The idea that certain words can come together to form a line that "sinks" or "deepens" or is punchy or magical (fill in your favorite word for great poetry here) also helps commercial designers come up with slogans people will remember. What is poetry but a creative arrangement of words that works to reflect, unmask, discover or otherwise reveal something about the humanity of the moment. So do commercials. Creepy, yes but also interesting I think.
For some examples of "commercial poetry" check out the Awful Dynne link.
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