Wow, I just can’t get over how exciting it is to have joined this site. It’s only been about 10 days since I heard about it from a friend and I’ve received two books, sent out three, and requested two more. Very cool.
I’m a big advocate of maintaining impartial brain patterns by ignoring all tacit attempts to alter my behaviour. Pretty much I don’t believe anything that anyone tells me unless they have built some trust with me. By definition, a television ad does not have any credibility and therefore I’ve loved fast-forwarding through those ads. Tivo’s have helped implement that.
The next escalation in the war of free thought was inevitable. If consumers fast forward through the stupid ads then we’ll migrate the stupid ads to the show. In fact this is a return to the way that old television shows used to advertise. Think back to the days of dancing packs of cigarettes. So the networks are experimenting this month with this idea. Oreo bought a huge sponsorship with 7th Heaven to get some air time in the middle of the show and therefore couldn’t be tuned out.
Despite being a huge 7th heaven fan I’m here to tell you that if the show wasn’t going off the air in the next two weeks I wouldn’t put up with this nonsense. Their stupid ideas ruined about 30% of the show and didn’t make me want to buy an oreo to save my life. And in fact the result was directly opposite. Despite the fact that oreos are one of the few sweet treats that I enjoy…this sort of advertising is just repulsive on many levels. Their little jingle O-R-E-O worked on me much better than this silliness.
Finally, this change in advertising technique is basically a denial of new market realities. Computers have advanced to the point that customers can pay a decent fee in order to not be annoyed by companies. I realize that is anti-advertising but that is also what America is emanating. Customers have never wanted to be submitted to the awful theatrics of advertisers but they put up with it because it was impossible to avoid. Daily it is becoming easier and cheaper to simply just record the show and watch it at a later time and fast forward through the advertising. Shows that attempt to incorporate advertisers into their plot will quickly find themselves unpaid while unknown reality TV or indie film directors will fill their roles.
We’ve been held at ransom for decades by advertisers. That age is at an end. Consumer Reports kicks ass. Indie films kick ass. Public rating systems kick ass. Network shows where you can say fuck kick ass. Bored public broadcast shows that allow their plot to be polluted by advertisers are old school and are destined to die.
Now, please click on all the ads I have splattered across the website. I know it’s hypocritical. I’ve tried to keep it tasteful. Please let me know if there’s too much advertisement or if a particular advertiser is offending you in some way.
A few of you check in, so feast upon this: http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone
Anyhow, please keep in mind that it’s a study done by a group/vendor that wants to sell us “kickass nofault systems” so you sort of have to bear that in mind.
Just bought one of these baby’s! Toilet Lid Sink