After some false starts, it seems that interactive TV advertising is gaining a foothold, as Denver-based Turner Media Group, both an ad agency and a provider of eight interactive TV channels, has created interactive TV spots for clients like Ford, the U.S. Navy, Lexus and home-security provider ADT, writes Colorado-based Rocky Mountain News (via MediaBuyerPlanner).

On all eight of Turner's interactive TV channels - which mesh product placements and original programming - viewers can use their remote to find out more about featured products, sometimes converting ads directly into sales. "An educated consumer is in a better position, mentally, to make a purchase," said Gary Turner, founder and chief executive of Turner Media Group.

Turner's interactive adds for Ford's 2007 Explorer ad campaign that launched earlier this year included one spot during the Ford-sponsored Ironman triathlon that invited subscribers of EchoStar's Dish Network to push a bottom on their screen to learn more about the SUV.