Advertising

So I just turned on the TV at my parents place. They have Sky, full package etc. I flicked around for ten minutes and saw a few things that looked okay. Every single time I selected a program there were ads. Every single time. For ten whole minutes, over the 10-15 channels that I took interest in there was zero content. Zero.

Now with this new Sky box you can fast forward, so if you pause, cook up some pho, and kill time to cover for the ads you can fast forward and skip them. Great.

Well not for long.

One of my friends works for a big marketing company and they are currently developing a way to exploit even this. They have begun formatting advertisements so that they convey their message at the increased frame-rate. They are investing heavily in this because they are aware that while you are waiting for the correct moment to press play again at the star of your show, you are in fact paying more attention to what is on the screen.

I think I just quit TV.

oh no, not advertising! surely it'll cook your brain or something!

put up with it mate, it's the price you pay for being able to watch television at all. those programmes you love aren't free to make.

The other major problem with Sky is that for all that money and all those channels they tell you you'll get, the amount of original content is so infinitesimally small that the advertising is probably the most worthwhile material they broadcast.

that's true. why anyone actually needs sky in the age of the internet is beyond me - unless you're into live sports i guess.

Agreed. I have and will never pay for more than standard TV channels. BBC1, 2 and Channel 4 are all I really need if I want to watch TV. The internet has everything else, and more.

Freeview has some worthwhile stuff, mostly from the BBC and Channel 4 mind, and a couple of plus 1hr channels means I can find some rubbish to stick on. Advertising doesn't seem quite so abrasive when you aren't paying for the priveledge of being told to buy frozen chilli prawns by Jason Donovan miming playing guitar with a walking stick

  On 1/6/2011 at 1:26 PM, Iain C said:

oh no, not advertising! surely it'll cook your brain or something!

 

put up with it mate, it's the price you pay for being able to watch television at all. those programmes you love aren't free to make.

Yeah I know. You're right. I'm not against advertising in principle. I'm just cranky. Probably because I don't watch much TV and sitting down today and finding that I was not actually able to watch a single fucking program really annoyed me. And I understand that these programs need funding, but at what cost? I turned off the TV. I know others would sit through it but I can't be the only one.

i really enjoyed tv back when i was 8.

but now everything its just so depressing.

i gave up a long time ago.

Freeview is good for me upon return from some public house somewhere. When the adverts start I flick over to some over load of bullshit. I try and spend other time I have away from the tv.

This from a man with an advertisement in his signature

  On 1/6/2011 at 2:40 PM, chassis said:

This from a man with an advertisement in his signature

It could be a joke. Think about it.

  On 1/6/2011 at 3:03 PM, Etch said:

  On 1/6/2011 at 2:40 PM, chassis said:

This from a man with an advertisement in his signature

 

It could be a joke. Think about it.

I realise that. No wait, I didnt. I thought you were watmm's supplier of oil. Fact is its advertising in your sig, while you complain about advertising.

also, its not very funny.

advertisements are cool cehck out this classic ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8LAN9afyc

no

  On 1/6/2011 at 3:07 PM, chassis said:

  On 1/6/2011 at 3:03 PM, Etch said:

  On 1/6/2011 at 2:40 PM, chassis said:

This from a man with an advertisement in his signature

 

It could be a joke. Think about it.

 

I realise that. No wait, I didnt. I thought you were watmm's supplier of oil. Fact is its advertising in your sig, while you complain about advertising.

 

also, its not very funny.

If you say so. Whatever man.

init

I will now post some of my favourite funny old ads.

  On 1/6/2011 at 1:37 PM, Coalbucket PI said:

...being told to buy frozen chilli prawns by Jason Donovan miming playing guitar with a walking stick

that sounds pretty good. which channel?

4

  On 1/6/2011 at 4:56 PM, LUDD said:

  On 1/6/2011 at 1:37 PM, Coalbucket PI said:

...being told to buy frozen chilli prawns by Jason Donovan miming playing guitar with a walking stick

 

 

that sounds pretty good. which channel?

Its almost as upsetting as, say, having a concrete enema, or that advert where the WONGA! guy is inside Super Mario World

are you sure?

american television is even worse i bet..

Yeah, tv in america is awful. Instead of 2 ad breaks per 30mins of about 4 minutes. You get like 2 minute ad breaks every 5-8 minutes. Its fucking annoying as hell.

The worst ones are the car insurance and loan company adverts