# When will society rise to destroy this rabid corporate cramming of ads in our lives? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120 "2005-03-25T00:48:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/21 "2005-03-25T14:42:08Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I have a big problem with online ads, like everyone. > > Nowadays I have DSL. Cool, I can watch trailers for upcoming flicks online (among other things) and every few trailers, it forces you to watch an ad. You can’t skip past it, and all I want to do is watch the freakin’ trailer! And the amusing thing about this is that a trailer is nothing more than a commercial for a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/22 "2005-03-25T14:45:05Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > And the amusing thing about this is that a trailer is nothing more than a commercial for a movie. Isn’t that ironic? I \*want \* to go see some commercials, the kind I _want_, but by forcing me to watch ones I \*don’t \* want, they are turning me off the ones I \*DO \* want! _deep breath_ ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/23 "2005-03-25T16:01:26Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > It’s no big deal for them to go to a concert sponsored by a beer or soft drink corporation. I remember having a dream not too long ago where corporations started naming countries, mostly Third World countries. Like “McDonalds, Africa”. It was kind of scary. And just when you think you’re away from ads, you see people being nothing more than walking advertisements. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/24 "2005-03-25T16:24:18Z")
Oh, I don’t know. I see a lot of ads that are pleasing & enjoyable. Seriously, has anything done more to make art ubiquitous than advertising? Most ads may suck as art, but then again, so does most art. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/25 "2005-03-25T17:30:12Z")
Oh yeah. I just remember the most irritating advertising I cannot avoid. Starbucks plays pre-programmed music in its stores, some of which is available for purchase, some not (I never understood that). Our music programs now have ads for Hear Music (the music sales arm of Starbucks). So now, while you’re standing in line for your latte, you will be treated to audio advertisements. Don’t worry, you might only hear it once a week. I, OTOH, will get to hear it at least 3 times per shift. grrrrr! Thanks Starbucks marketing gurus! Thanks for playing great music compilations that you market but don’t package. When customers say to me (and the frequently do), “What’s that song? I love it!” I get to say, “Yeah me too. But you can’t buy it here. I’m sorry. Try the internet.” Either play only what you want me to sell, or let me sell everything you play. Seriously! Either way, the audio ads SUCK! And it’s very disconcerting to suddenly hear a voice talking in an empty store late at night, too. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/26 "2005-03-25T17:31:17Z")
> [@Agrippina](#): > > I remember having a dream not too long ago where corporations started naming countries, mostly Third World countries. Like “McDonalds, Africa”. It was kind of scary. You means something like “Pepsi presents New Zanzibar?” 😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/27 "2005-03-25T18:40:35Z")
I love our satellite hard disk thingy, because I never have to watch ads anymore. We just zip right through 'em. This plus the ad filter on the computer makes my life much happier. Also, we show up at movies late; it’s a given that the first 15 minutes at least will be ads. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/28 "2005-03-25T19:02:59Z")
WHere I live the movie ads are not too bad. I can sit through a few minutes of ads on the rare occasions I go to the flicks. It’s having my tv programme interrupted\* three. fucking. minutes\*. after it’s started with what seems like an endless soul-destroying stream of ads I’ve seen ten thousand times before that I hate. It doesn’t help that the ads are synchronised, so virtually every interesting channel is showing ads at the same time. Sometimes I do feel like tyler durden and want to blow up the corporate world, or kill rupert murdock who doesn’t deserve capital letters. The ads at the flicks are usually new, and generally cleverer and more entertaining than TV ads. And by turning up on time I get to see previews of other upcoming films. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/29 "2005-03-25T19:33:07Z")
You think what we have is bad? It could easily be worse. Read Frerick Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth’s classic SF novel **The Space Merchants** , or Pohl’s much later sequel, **The Merchant’s War**. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/30 "2005-03-25T21:04:57Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > It’s having my tv programme interrupted\* three. fucking. minutes\*. after it’s started with what seems like an endless soul-destroying stream of ads I’ve seen ten thousand times before that I hate. It doesn’t help that the ads are synchronised, so virtually every interesting channel is showing ads at the same time. Sometimes I do feel like tyler durden and want to blow up the corporate world, or kill rupert murdock who doesn’t deserve capital letters. > > The ads at the flicks are usually new, and generally cleverer and more entertaining than TV ads. And by turning up on time I get to see previews of other upcoming films. Mate, get a PVR like a Tivo or one of the new Freeview ones (I guess Sky+ is out of the question). You can get them for well under £200. Then you can skip through the ads like **dangermom** said. Of course, when PVRs are widespread enough they’ll probably start running banner ads throughout the programme or something. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/31 "2005-03-25T21:10:26Z")
Freeview is not available to the Isle of Man. Do those tivo things work alongside my sky setup? What does it do with the minutes it ‘saves’ by cutting out the ads. Do I have to record stuff and watch it later, or will it fit in with my surfing style. So that If I find something interesting I can stay with it without being bothered by ads? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/32 "2005-03-25T21:16:27Z")
Does the fact you have such freaky, cool looking cats make up for it? P.S. I my opinion, admakers will be against the wall twenty years after the debut of the first [Spinsanity](http://www.spinsanity.org/)-style ad debunking website. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/33 "2005-03-25T21:21:37Z")
The cats are suffering the same fate as the humans. I.e. they are becoming vastly outnumbered by immigrants like me. So you don’t see many. But the ones you do see are friendly little buggers. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/34 "2005-03-25T21:22:05Z")
Hmm, well if you can’t get Freeview and you’ve already got Sky, you might be better off with Sky+, but i thought you hated Mr Murdoch? You can’t get new Tivos any more, you have to get them off eBay. Anyway, what you can do is wait until the programme that you are recording has been running for 15 minutes, then start watching the recording. When the commercial breaks arrive, skip through them. In practice, though, many PVR users find that the things are so easy to use that you get out of the habit of watching programmes as they are broadcast, apart from things like sport and news which most people want to watch as they happen. There’s always something to watch on the hard disk. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/35 "2005-03-25T21:27:16Z")
Oh those cute little Isle of Man cats. Look at em hop like rabbits. They are sooooo cute. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/36 "2005-03-25T21:32:15Z")
It’s owning sky that has _caused_ me to despise Murdoch. a PVR might be worth a try. I’ll think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/37 "2005-03-25T22:16:06Z")
I have a very interesting post that will be a bright spot in your day, but first, please enjoy the following thirty seconds of tampon absorbency testing. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/38 "2005-03-25T23:20:32Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I have a very interesting post that will be a bright spot in your day, but first, please enjoy the following thirty seconds of tampon absorbency testing. With Blue Liquid! Whooooooo! I bleed Blue! How 'Bout You! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/39 "2005-03-26T01:14:25Z")
Maybe I’m getting old, but IIRC the deal with cable originally was that since you _paid_ for the cable service, it was supposed to be _commercial-free_. One of the trade magazines that is sent to me free of charge stuck in a blurb a few years ago basically asking the contractors who received the mag to pony up a few bucks to cover postage. I wrote to the editor and basically told him him head was up his ass if he thought I’d give him two cents for the privilege of sending me a magazine that was over 50% ads. Trucks, tools, building materials, accounting software, computers, you name it-the darn thing was chock full of ads. You want more money? Raise your advertising rates. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120/40 "2005-03-26T01:16:22Z")
As Dave Barry said, “If anyone in this household starts secreting something _blue_, the first thing I’m going to worry about isn’t how absorbent our undergarments are!” 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-society-rise-to-destroy-this-rabid-corporate-cramming-of-ads-in-our-lives/296120.md?page=3)