So, what if we banned Direct to Consumer Advertising in the US?

[LostCrusader]

Well this may be a bit unrelated, but it seems like cable providers have stopped having ad-free on-demand shows. Mine still sticks in commercial breaks and blocks fast forwarding for any recent shows.

What about some sort of Tivo/PVR? Your shows are recorded to the local hard drive for you to watch at your convenience.

True, recording shows works fine for now. I was just mentioning how it works on my cable provider's on-demand stuff since that was what you had mentioned above.

OT: I would love it if those kinds of ads were cut, but I don't see it actually happening. For most people it just a slight nuisance that everyone makes fun of. The people I suspect are actually affected by the ads are hypochondriacs that see the commercials and think they need everything.

It's not really hypochondriacs, but it is trying to appeal to those who want fast results without the effort. What if I promised you guaranteed weight loss, in a month, without needing to change your diet, lifestyle or do exercise? Just take a pill. What if I offered you the muscle build you've always wanted without needing to work out? Just take a pill. Increase your mental alertness, perform better in school/office, unlock your potential? Here's a pill. Get rid of wrinkles, grey hair, hair loss, increase your heights, penile length, get a tan, you name it, there's a pill for it.

I've often quipped how convenient it would be to have all necessary nutrition in a pill, without the hassle of preparing and eating a meal. Those ads take a simple premise "What if X could be had instantly and without time or effort?" and market them as medical wonders for those who haven't yet learned that things that sound too good to be true, are.

A good point since a ton of the pills that a marketed in those kind of ads are diet/fitness pills. I was thinking of hypochondriacs because most of the ads I notice seem to be making up a condition at the start of their ads and them saying that they can cure it for you. Best example that is jumping to mind was selling a pill to cure restless leg syndrome or something like that.