A chain of gas stations in Minnesota recently denied the state GOP's request to air political ads on the monitors at its pumps, the Pioneer Press reported. Under a plan devised by Minnesota Republicans, people filling up at Holiday gas stations would see an ad claiming that state Democrats have contributed to the increase in gas prices.

In lieu of the pump-side segments, the caucus will run 15-second spots on network TV stations in the Twin Cities starting Tuesday. View one of the ads at the Press' The Political Animal blog.

State House Majority Leader Tony Sertich (D) told the Press that the gas taxes will fund improvements to roads and bridges, and noted that the Republican ad doesn't mention the gas industry's $100 billion in annual profits.

In other recent advertising news:

-- The Beijing Summer Olympics presents a risky advertising opportunity for corporations. (Portfolio.com's Daily Brief blog)

-- Mexico's top electoral body banned a political ad that compares a leftist lawmaker to Hitler. (Melbourne Herald Sun)

-- A University of Calgary audit claims that some of the school's research funds were used to pay for ads critical of the Kyoto Protocol. (Toronto Globe And Mail)

-- For the first time, the United States Marine Corps is aiming a recruiting campaign directly at women. (New York Times)

-- A federal judge in West Virginia ruled that some state laws governing political ads are too vague. (West Virginia Record)

-- A columnist argued that all Minnesota political spots should have captions for the hearing impaired. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

-- And men's magazine advertisers are inviting readers to send in camera-phone images of their ads to redeem promotions. (New York Times)