Poll: Commercials

[GeorgW]

A comment about ad blockers got me thinking, and I thought I'd make a thread about it. I couldn't find it on the search bar, but it was clouded by actual commercials, so I'm not completely sure.

Am I the only person that like commercials? When I was little I was almost more interested in the commercials than the show itself. I don't know why, they just intrigued me. As I got older, they became less interesting. You could say I simply grew up, but I think it was more because of a decline in quality of commercials.

Nowadays I appreciate them more for their purpose than their content. I hear a lot of people complain about them, but I've never heard anyone else stand up for all the good things they bring. Free sites and TV-shows for example. TV commercials also give you a break from the show, which can sometimes be necessary. Imagine being forced to pay for Youtube or the Escapist. Imagine having to pay for every individual TV show you watch. Instead we get all this free content, and all they ask in return is that we listen for half a minute about a product people have spent a lot of time to develop and they are really passionate about. They're depending on you to keep their families fed. In my opinion, it's a win, win, win situation. The companies get sales, the ad-space sellers get money to produce great content, and we get great content for free.

What I'm trying to say is, while it may be annoying to suffer through a commercial you've seen a dozen times before watching an 8 second video on Youtube can be annoying, in the long run, isn't it worth it? Speaking of Youtube, they're also a great source of entertainment!

So, tell me your thoughts on commercials. Are they just a nuisance? What are your favourites? Do you agree with me about the declining quality of commercials? Are there better options than our current? Are billboards and posters brightening up boring, barren scenery? Would you like commercials in your dreams? How annoying are banners with sound? What do you feel about interactive banners?

 

[Jaded Scribe]

I enjoy the ones that are clever. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I know they're out there.

I see them mostly as a necessary evil. I'd rather fast-forward through them if I can, but I see the value in knowing what products, and more importantly what deals, are going on.

While I naturally research any major purchases anyways, having a general idea of what the standards are for offers I think is important to be a wise consumer.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I watch 'em.

"Capitalism, ho!" and all that.

This isn't a funny commercials thread, but I'm posting this anyway.

 

[AvsJoe]

Some commercials are enjoyable for one reason or another but the vast majority of them aren't worth watching. I skip past them if I can (god bless the DVR) or I get up and make me a sammich or stretch my legs or something.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I don. I just don.

I like the ones that are really bad. Like those American Nutrigrain ones.

I suddenly want to buy the fuck out of every Nutrigrain bar ever.

 

[Judgement101]

A comment about ad blockers got me thinking, and I thought I'd make a thread about it. I couldn't find it on the search bar, but it was clouded by actual commercials, so I'm not completely sure.

Am I the only person that like commercials? When I was little I was almost more interested in the commercials than the show itself. I don't know why, they just intrigued me. As I got older, they became less interesting. You could say I simply grew up, but I think it was more because of a decline in quality of commercials.

Nowadays I appreciate them more for their purpose than their content. I hear a lot of people complain about them, but I've never heard anyone else stand up for all the good things they bring. Free sites and TV-shows for example. Imagine being forced to pay for Youtube or the Escapist. Imagine having to pay for every individual TV show you watch. Instead we get all this free content, and all they ask in return is that we listen for half a minute about a product people have spent a lot of time to develop and they are really passionate about. They're depending on you to keep their families fed. In my opinion, it's a win, win, win situation. The companies get sales, the ad-space sellers get money to produce great content, and we get great content for free.

What I'm trying to say is, while it may be annoying to suffer through a commercial you've seen a dozen times before watching an 8 second video on Youtube can be annoying, in the long run, isn't it worth it? Speaking of Youtube, they're also a great source of entertainment!

So, tell me your thoughts on commercials. Are they just a nuisance? What are your favourites? Do you agree with me about the declining quality of commercials? Are there better options than our current? Are billboards and posters brightening up boring, barren scenery? Would you like commercials in your dreams?

I meant the commercials here, not on TV. No one loves the "Slim Jim" commercial.

 

[Alex Berry]

Honda commercial called 'Cogs'. This is advertising meets art.

 

[bak00777]

depends, some commercials i love, like any informercial where it asks "Has this ever happend to you?" and the picture is in black and white and some over exaderated thing happens, like those snuggie commericals where the person is under a blanket, the phone rings and then as they are trying to answer it the blanket slips off and they look sad.

On the other hand i HATE these recent toyota commercials, the kid is such a douchebag.
heres one of them(theres quite a few)
for some reason i cant embed it(i copied the code right from youtube, but ill just post the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqbKlKpZ7fQ

 

[lemiel14n3]

I don't like sitting through commercials, but I appreciate their necessity. Without the income from commercials television networks wouldn't have nearly enough money kicking around to put on the shows I enjoy. So I accept commercials as a necessary evil.

And when online I can deal with some commercials. side bar commercials, pop-ups, those little video clips before an especially popular youtube video. Although there are a few commercials that I consider unacceptable, and need to die, now.

-audio commercials on non-audio sites,
(I read manga online, and nothing is quite as irritating as a loud, obnoxious ad for mr clean or some shit screeching up out of nowhere, I'm only on the page for a few seconds so there's no point in turning off the volume like 30 times per chapter)

-Commercial captchas that need research
(I was posting here on The Escapist and a captcha came up that asked me "what is the name of Toyota's research department?" or some such nonsense, and I honestly didn't know, or really care and my worry was that I wouldn't be able to make a post until I brought up a new window and looked up information on Toyota)
Side-note to the Escapist: I'm not a publisher's club member yet, I do plan on it though, and I understand that times are hard, and you need money, commercials are a perfect way to do it, and commercial captchas aren't THAT intrusive, but seriously, if the information isn't IN the captcha, then it helps nobody unless you really need to lower traffic fast. P.S. If I buy the membership and have to deal with advertising captchas I'm gonna be pissed

-pop-ups that have a second pop-up if you try and close the page
(you've all seen them, you're surfing the internet and you stumble on a page that has pop-ups, no big deal, you go to the pop-up, hit the little "X" to close then, wait what's this, a new popup asking me if I'm sure? YES I'M FUCKING SURE, you're a pop-up, don't make me hit close twice to make you go the fuck away.

 

[thylasos]

I purposely avoid all commercials. I can't stand them. This has become easier through not watching broadcast television, though even when I did, I muted them and did something else while they ran.

 

[MassiveGeek]

I like some commercials. The ones that are actually stimulating and entertaining.

Like the egyptian panda commercial. If you haven't seen it, then you're a blasphemer. >_>

Youtube it, it's hilarious.

 

[GeorgW]

I watch 'em.

"Capitalism, ho!" and all that.

This isn't a funny commercials thread, but I'm posting this anyway.

Spoiler: -snip-

Sure it is, why not? it's a general thread about commercials, I didn't want to exclude anyone by forcing them to talk about my opinion. Have any more?

I don. I just don.

Spoiler: -snip-

I like the ones that are really bad. Like those American Nutrigrain ones.

I suddenly want to buy the fuck out of every Nutrigrain bar ever.

Haha, nice one!

-snip-

I meant the commercials here, not on TV. No one loves the "Slim Jim" commercial.

Well, I still mention the Escapist. I live in Sweden and don't have the same commercials as you, but I'm sure it was good the first time. But I can see it getting annoying in the long run. Once again, don't you like the escapist? Don't you want them to get the money they need to keep this site going? Then you'll endure the commercials.

Honda commercial called 'Cogs'. This is advertising meets art.

Linkz plz?

This one is my favourite: Warning for getting the song stuck in your head!

 

[baddude1337]

Some ad's I don't mind if they alert me to things that I did not know or any current sales/offers.

Ones I really despise are ones that don't make sense. Perfume adverts are criminal here, as are some of the Recent UK KFC ads. The worst I remember is an advert involving some guys talking and moving in slow-motion then riding off on a black horse. It made no sense and was so bad because it didn't actually seem to show what it was advertising.

 

[GeorgW]

I don't like sitting through commercials, but I appreciate their necessity. Without the income from commercials television networks wouldn't have nearly enough money kicking around to put on the shows I enjoy. So I accept commercials as a necessary evil.

And when online I can deal with some commercials. side bar commercials, pop-ups, those little video clips before an especially popular youtube video. Although there are a few commercials that I consider unacceptable, and need to die, now.

-audio commercials on non-audio sites,
(I read manga online, and nothing is quite as irritating as a loud, obnoxious ad for mr clean or some shit screeching up out of nowhere, I'm only on the page for a few seconds so there's no point in turning off the volume like 30 times per chapter)

-Commercial captchas that need research
(I was posting here on The Escapist and a captcha came up that asked me "what is the name of Toyota's research department?" or some such nonsense, and I honestly didn't know, or really care and my worry was that I wouldn't be able to make a post until I brought up a new window and looked up information on Toyota)
Side-note to the Escapist: I'm not a publisher's club member yet, I do plan on it though, and I understand that times are hard, and you need money, commercials are a perfect way to do it, and commercial captchas aren't THAT intrusive, but seriously, if the information isn't IN the captcha, then it helps nobody unless you really need to lower traffic fast. P.S. If I buy the membership and have to deal with advertising captchas I'm gonna be pissed

-pop-ups that have a second pop-up if you try and close the page
(you've all seen them, you're surfing the internet and you stumble on a page that has pop-ups, no big deal, you go to the pop-up, hit the little "X" to close then, wait what's this, a new popup asking me if I'm sure? YES I'M FUCKING SURE, you're a pop-up, don't make me hit close twice to make you go the fuck away.

Oh, you reminded me. The one thing I can't stand is banners with audio. I know it forces me to watch your banner to turn the damn thing off, but it's still f*in' annoying! Why can't you have an interesting banner instead that people want to check out further? And that captcha thing is ridiculous, try failing it on purpose next time to get an easier one. I do that sometimes.

I like some commercials. The ones that are actually stimulating and entertaining.

Like the egyptian panda commercial. If you haven't seen it, then you're a blasphemer. >_>

Youtube it, it's hilarious.

I couldn't find it, link plz?

 

[Trivun]

It depends. Here in the UK we are sadly forced to watch roughly three to four minutes of 20-second commercials at a time when watching TV. However, this is fortunately limited to only every fifteen minutes or so of each show, and between shows. As I understand it, and having seen US television in Florida on holiday, you guys have perhaps 30 seconds to a minute of commercial at a time, but sadly have to sit through maybe four or five of these per 22-minute show (to push it up to half an hour in the schedule).

Anyway, the length of commercials means that I rapidly get bored when watching them, though nowadays at university I tend to watch TV online which means much fewer commercials on sites like Channel 4 OD or ITV Player. And it annoys me when they show the same commercials over and over again for a bunch of different shows on the same channel, because then I just get bored even quicker.

However, sometimes, adverts are done really well. Sadly these tend to be the sort shown before films at the cinema rather than on TV, so I only get to see the good ones once a week when I make my regular cinema visit. For example, there was an amazing one for chewing gum that wasn't on TV, but was on cinema screens, and was basically this really complex mind-porn thing that had elements of Tron, The Matrix, and games like Wipeout, but based around astronaut training. And I had the great joy to see this several times in 3D at the cinema, but it would have been nowhere near as good on the small screen.

Another one - a really nice little advert that shows a guy and a girl in bed one morning. They look at each other and do the whole cheesy sheepish smile thing, then proceed to continue smiling like that at each other while getting dressed. They have to track down all their clothes in turn through a whole UK market town, on main roads and near the docks, until eventually they wind up putting their jackets back on in a supermarket. They then smile again and walk in opposite directions with their trolleys. The idea is that they saw each other in the supermarket, fell instantly for each other, and were ripping off their clothes even on the way home before the sexy-time could start. The kicker? It's an advert for Lynx deodorant (Axe in the US). Again, a very clever, well filmed advert that I liked a lot.

So yeah, some adverts I do tend to like. But it has to be especially well made, or have a really nice twist or concept, for me to be interested. So the vast majority of stuff, I don't like. It's like Sturgeon's Law says - 90% of everything is shit. And that law applies to commercials just as much as it does everything else.

 

[MassiveGeek]

I like some commercials. The ones that are actually stimulating and entertaining.

Like the egyptian panda commercial. If you haven't seen it, then you're a blasphemer. >_>

Youtube it, it's hilarious.

I couldn't find it, link plz?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyRvzeNuqa4

 

[GeorgW]

It depends. Here in the UK we are sadly forced to watch roughly three to four minutes of 20-second commercials at a time when watching TV. However, this is fortunately limited to only every fifteen minutes or so of each show, and between shows. As I understand it, and having seen US television in Florida on holiday, you guys have perhaps 30 seconds to a minute of commercial at a time, but sadly have to sit through maybe four or five of these per 22-minute show (to push it up to half an hour in the schedule).

Anyway, the length of commercials means that I rapidly get bored when watching them, though nowadays at university I tend to watch TV online which means much fewer commercials on sites like Channel 4 OD or ITV Player. And it annoys me when they show the same commercials over and over again for a bunch of different shows on the same channel, because then I just get bored even quicker.

However, sometimes, adverts are done really well. Sadly these tend to be the sort shown before films at the cinema rather than on TV, so I only get to see the good ones once a week when I make my regular cinema visit. For example, there was an amazing one for chewing gum that wasn't on TV, but was on cinema screens, and was basically this really complex mind-porn thing that had elements of Tron, The Matrix, and games like Wipeout, but based around astronaut training. And I had the great joy to see this several times in 3D at the cinema, but it would have been nowhere near as good on the small screen.

Another one - a really nice little advert that shows a guy and a girl in bed one morning. They look at each other and do the whole cheesy sheepish smile thing, then proceed to continue smiling like that at each other while getting dressed. They have to track down all their clothes in turn through a whole UK market town, on main roads and near the docks, until eventually they wind up putting their jackets back on in a supermarket. They then smile again and walk in opposite directions with their trolleys. The idea is that they saw each other in the supermarket, fell instantly for each other, and were ripping off their clothes even on the way home before the sexy-time could start. The kicker? It's an advert for Lynx deodorant (Axe in the US). Again, a very clever, well filmed advert that I liked a lot.

So yeah, some adverts I do tend to like. But it has to be especially well made, or have a really nice twist or concept, for me to be interested. So the vast majority of stuff, I don't like. It's like Sturgeon's Law says - 90% of everything is shit. And that law applies to commercials just as much as it does everything else.

That's nothing, in Sweden we have 6-8 minute commericials at a time! I see it as an opportunity to do other things, and prefer them to the American version. Do you have linkz to your examples? Especially the first one?

 

[Blue_vision]

I like the interesting/good commercials as a semi-artistic statement, but I'd prefer it if they didn't exist. They're annoying, as their purpose is to not give the viewer a choice in watching them or not.

Sure, you could talk about the economics of advertising in how they give us free stuff like websites and TV, but there's no free lunch. If a company is paying a website to put up advertising on it, that money's coming from product consumers (which is supposed to generally be you.) If you're actually going to be buying the product in the first place, then you're paying more for the company to give money to the service you're appreciating, and most of the time ads are supposed to entice you to buy something you otherwise wouldn't have bought. That's consuming resources that you don't need to, and spending money in a way that doesn't really increase the quality of your life (could be said for many consumerist things but especially so for the spontaneous buys that most ads go for.) All that on top of the fact that advertisements designed to pop out at the viewer seriously detracts from their experience, whether it's annoying commercial breaks on TV, or annoying junky ads on the internet.

So instead of paying for services through commercials, I'd prefer to pay for services by just paying for them (and I do, will be getting my publisher's club in a few weeks,) and to pay for artists to just make interesting media on their own rather than for the purpose of selling something (increases the possible depth, really.)

And I'm guessing the reason that the above suggestion doesn't work is because people can't start opening up to free services, through preexisting economics of services like TV, and the fact that it puts an increased load on people who still buy things but would also then have to start paying fully for services like TV or websites. I'd imagine and hope that this could change in the future, and I think the internet has the possibility of tipping the scales (just look at wikipedia.)