Madden Benched in Rent-a-Center's Latest Campaign

John Madden has been replaced by a character named Bob in TV spots for Rent-a-Center that break today from Havas’ Brann Dallas. The agency decided that football commentator Madden was “a little oversaturated” as a pitchman, and research raised questions about how believable it was that he would use Rent-a-Center, a shop exec said. Bob, a twentysomething everyman, pulls stunts such as renting appliances and furniture to impress a date. The Plano, Texas-based chain spent about $25 million on ads last year, according to CMR.