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New fangled television advertising...Hrmmm..what a lofty topic for a little rant.

I just finished reading a magazine article about the new advertising tactics used by major corporations to peddle their wares to to common folk. As if commercials on tv, in the movie theaters, on bilboards, on the radio, in magazines, in your email, on the web, on your clothing etc. just wasn't enough. Hell, there's even people advertising on their bodies ! (see the CNN report about the pregnant woman who auctioned space on her belly for advertising)

Well, now the advertising moguls have noticed that today's consumer is becoming more and more intollerant of crappy commercials interrupting their programs with greater & greater frequency. TiVo seems to have been made for the sole purpose of skipping / fast forwarding through the ads.

Well, no more !

Now we are seeing the beginning of "brand integration" in our more popular shows. You'll no longer be able to watch XYZ program without the host / characters interacting exclusively with a particular brand of product(s). Imagine someone like John Stewart being stuck with drinking his daily beverage out of a coke can ? Red & white lettering screaming out to every teen & young adult that 'hey, John Stewart drinks coke, maybe I should too if I wanna be that funny & cynical' .

I think it's time for the advertisers to recognize that the more they try to cram their products down our throats the sooner will come the day when as a mass we tell Tide, Blockbuster, Coke etc. to back off.

I don't know about you but I'm not overly concerned with anyone's preference in beverage, hygene products or make of car. I am concerned however with the increasing airtime devoted to advertising. Hell, the show 60 Minutes is in reality something like 40 minutes because of all the ads they have to run.