I have noticed this trend as well, of setting clocks to 10:10, and I looked into it. From Google Answer:
""Q: WHEN YOU SEE AN AD WITH A CLOCK IN IT THE HANDS ARE ALWAYS POSITIONED AT 10:10?
A: WE CALLED TIMEX FOR YOUR ANSWER AND IT SAYS THE HANDS ON A CLOCK ARE PLACED AT TEN-TEN BECAUSE IT'S A CREATIVE STANDARD INDUSTRY.
TIMEX SAYS THE HANDS ON TIMEPIECES ARE PLACED AT TEN-TEN SO THE COMPANY LOGO ON THE FACE WILL BE FRAMED AND NOT BLOCKED BY THE HANDS. TIMEX SAYS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD USED TO BE EIGHT-TWENTY BUT THAT LOOKED TOO MUCH LIKE A FROWN AND CREATED AN UNHAPPY LOOK.
TIMEX SAYS IN ITS ADS, THE CLOCK HANDS ARE PLACED AT TEN-NINE AND THIRTY SIX SECONDS, EXACTLY."
This seems to be a common explanation, and one that makes sense based on the knowledge that a company always wants to be recognized for its products!
