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Addendum Issue 067
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Addendum
URL: http://www.adden.tr.cx/
Issue# 67 : Advertising
17th June 2002
Author: Steak
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There are quite a lot of things in this world that disgust me or just
really piss me off, but unfortunately none more so than advertising.
For a start is a total insult to my (lack of) intelligence, I find
it offensive and annoying, and it doesn't work. At least not on me
if I want to buy a product I will buy it based on the price and the
quality of the product in question, not the amount of money that
the makers spend on advertising. In fact I will actually go out
of my way not to buy a product if it has been advertised
horribly on TV.
Any advertising is annoying, but none more so than TV advertising.
internet advertising I can handle, emails can be deleted, banners
can be ignored, flash animations with sound that pop up on your
screen without your consent is something I could do without, but
if they have a "close" button then I guess it's ok. But interrupting
my favourite program (which, by the way is the only time I watch TV)
for a sponsored message is only just acceptable, doing it three times
a program is going too far, having "this program sponsored by
[company name]" at the start and end of each program is going
over the top, actually having little scrolling messages scroll
along the bottom of the screen during the program is just taking
the piss, and should be boycotted
It has gone now so far that I cannot watch TV normally. I hardly
really have the idiot box on now, not just because of morals or
because I am trying to make a point but because it just makes me
sick to the stomach each time something like this comes on.
But I think I have gone over this somewhere before (if I havent then
I should have) what I wanted to talk about was something I noticed
last week, something that I have had an inkling of but never
really fully thought through.
It really is quite underhanded this tactic that the people at TV
stations use just to get their ratings up and more money from
advertisers, it really is.
star Trek, is one at Wednesday at 10:30pm So I get my plate of
biscuits ready, I pour myself a glass of milk and get the duvet
all ready with a pillow for the upmost comfort. I switch the
heater on and get the room to the perfect temperature, if its
raining I will open the curtains so I can see the rain pouring down
the window everything is perfect warm and lovely, Im happy and all
ready to indulge in the most fun you can have with the television on.
And what do I get? not the slick dramatic curves of the NX-01 but the
ugly mug of Michael Beach in third watch. So what do I do? I can't
go away, star trek could be on at any minuet, so I sit and watch..
After a long wait star trek finally comes on at 10:45pm, by which
time, my milk is drunk biscuits eaten and duvet hot and uncomfortable,
and it is somehow not what I have been waiting for all week, I am
less than happy.
And yet I see to be getting interested in third watch, just maybe I
will tune in earlier next week to find out what happens to that chick
who got run over and thats where they have me. They just made me watch
the end of that stupid show for fifteen minuets so that I may just
"find out" that I like it. and then I may just tune in next week at
the earlier time to watch third watch.
Well I am guilty as charged, and I just have to say that it's not my
fault. After watching the show for weeks now I can't help it but
wonder what happens next week. I even found myself tuning in earlier
the next week. But after realizing my error, and how crap the show
really was, I didn't bother the next week.
Yet I still tune in at 10:30 and get the last fifteen minuets, all
this just to watch star trek, something I used to watch weekly at 6pm
on the dot with no adverts.....
But I understand that its a commercial TV station and they have to get
their revenues from somewhere, so I guess its ok to use advertising, just
not to the extent that they do. And to make matters worse I really don't
think it is fair to use this new technique on the unsuspecting public,
it's sneaky underhanded and money grabbing. But then again what can you
expect from a bloody commercial TV station?
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Addendum
(C) Steak June 2002
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