in slow-motion so that it will stand out when the viewer uses his TiVo or other DVR to speed past it. The staff loves the idea, but Michael hates it and won't consider it, even though Toby reveals he formerly worked in advertising for three years. Reception "Local Ad" received a 5.2 Nielsen rating and an 8% Share. The episode was watched by an estimate audience of 8.98 million viewers and achieved a 4.7/11 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. This means that 4.1 percent of all people aged 18–49 viewed the episode, and eleven percent of all people watching television at the time viewed the episode. "Local Ad" received generally favorable reviews from critics. Travis Fickett of IGN gave the episode a favorable review, saying "This episode is a prime example of how The Office is able to do broad comedy while at the same time treating its characters as real people." Fickett went on to praise the acting of Rainn Wilson as a depressed Dwight, as well as the story's twist. Fickett stated that "A great twist here is that we think we're watching Michael pilot a sinking ship as usual, but in fact – the ad is quite good. There's some clever stuff in there, albeit some of it not exactly professional in its production, but Michael doesn't do such a bad job." Like Fickett, Christine Fenno of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a favorable review. Fenno said that "The premise of this episode, 'Local Ad' — the Scranton staffers shoot a commercial — was strong, and allowed almost every ensemble member to shine." Fenno also praised the acting work of Ed Helms as Andy, as well as Steve Carell as Michael. Oscar Dahl, a Senior Writer for BuddyTV, praised the episode, but also felt that the episode's thirty-minute length created a stark contrast to the previous four episodes' hour-long run, saying "tonight's episode felt short. Really short." For his work on this episode, B. J. Novak was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay – Episodic Comedy, but ultimately failed to win, losing to another episode of The Office, "The Job." References External links "Local Ad" at NBC.com The Office (American season 4) episodes 2007 American television episodes Second Life Television episodes about advertising