Today I’m joining in with Sadje’s Sunday Poser which asks what we think about advertising.

What are your views about the advertisements constantly shown on tv or splashed across the websites we visit, including Facebook, etc?

I don’t think that I am overly influenced by advertising these days. I will say that advertising does make me aware of some products that I might not have known about otherwise but it only influences me as far as doing some further reading on the subject if I believe it might be useful or enjoyable for me to use.

Like most people I tend to skip over ads on TV or online as much as possible, or failing that I use that time to talk, go to the toilet, make a drink or some small errand. I think advertisers have got wise to this though. Ads are much shorter now than they used to be and it’s not always possible to skip over them. I watch a lot of YouTube and you have to watch the first little bit of the ad before you can skip over it. This is particularly annoying at the moment as Clive Palmer, an Australian politician who I once described as a “black and gold” Donald Trump is running a huge advertising campaign at the moment. There is a federal election later this year and he wants to promote his own party while denouncing all the others. I could say more but he is a whole other (ranty) post. Anyway, every time there is a break his ugly face comes on and I have to wait at least 30 seconds before I can get rid of him. Minutes of my life I won’t get back.

I will admit to sometimes clicking on Facebook ads and even buying products once or twice. Generally though, I block them because they are too repetitious. I do use an ad blocker so I don’t see many ads online really. It keeps things manageable. I hope that any advertising people see on this blog is not too annoying or inappropriate. I can’t do anything about it.

Naomi and I both agree that advertisements used to be funnier. These days there is occasionally a good one but often I can’t even make out what the product being sold is. There are many ads from the past that we enjoy seeing again if we can find them on YouTube. In Australia Telstra used to do good ads. They had a very funny series about a dad trying to explain to his little son about the Great Wall of China. “Rabbits. To keep the rabbits out.” This was to advertise home internet.

AAMI insurance also used to do very funny ads. They are favourites of mine but that doesn’t mean I’m going to rush out and change my insurance to AAMI. You choose products by doing research and finding out what is best for you, not by who has the funniest ad.

I guess that a lot of people are easily influenced by ads so it’s probably good that we don’t advertise cigarettes any more although I don’t know if allowing cigarette or alcohol manufacturers sponsor big sporting events or teams was really that bad. I know that I never wanted to smoke just because I watched the cricket, went to a Grand Prix sponsored by a beer company or thought that the John Player Special livery on an F1 car was attractive. I am sure we are far more likely to be influenced to take up those habits by family and friends.

*Black and Gold is/was a generic supermarket brand that was offered cheaper versions of brand name products.