Saturday, October 14, 2006

Advertising everywhere

Trying to watch Battlestar Galacta on SciFi Channel while ad after ad appears at the bottom of the screen reminded me of a truism:
Advertising is the particular pathology of free market capitalism.
I couldn't tell if some of the ads were part of the show or not. I think NotPhil would agree. Just as disturbing is the sometimes mismatch of commercial with apparent target audience. It is possible that I need Depends or that I am watching the wrong show, or they are for my parents. I am still not buying any. Those poor marketers desperately trying to differentiate undifferentiated products. And those callous consumers buying whatever they want instead of what they are told to.

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1 comment:

NotPhil said...

I was bothered by the same thing on the same show. I recorded it so I could watch it later and fast-forward through the commercials, but it didn't help much. I still couldn't avoid ads for the SciFi Channel.

And, guess what? Japan's President of the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters thinks that skipping commercials on TV is a crime anyway!

Not that you'll be able to do this and still follow the shows' story lines for too much longer. According to the Wall Street Journal, Yomiuri Telecasting is now broadcasting commercials featuring the stars of the TV show, in sets from the TV show, which reveal plot points for the TV show, while the actors also hawk some product or other. Skip over the ad and you might not be able to follow the story.

I'm waiting for the all-advertising network to show up. It could work. After all, those Neanderthals that sell insurance are more amusing than many TV programs.