Adverts......are they counter-productive?

[ianess]

How many people are like me, in danger of being driven to the BBC just to get away from adverts?

Insurance companies, debt-solvers, every charity imaginable, feminine hygiene items.......is there no escape?

[IndieSinger]

No, there is no escape from adverts. Not even on the BBC. Adverts take many forms - these forms are most commonly referred to as covert and overt; you are subjected to covert advertisements more than you could ever imagine. They take the form of endorsements, reccommendations etc. For instance, say a BBC consumer affairs programme compares the effeciveness of certain products giving a "winner", then you can bet the manufacturer paid vast sums of money for this.

As far as overt advertisements are concerned, I agree that they do get in the way. However, they simply must still be worth the company's while to pay out all that money. You're even affected subconsciously by these adverts. Whether you like them or not, they work!

[Mattk]

when the ads pop-up i start a hopping !

i rarely watch stuff 'live'.i have sky+ and watch things after they were initially broadcast to allow me to remove the ad breaks.

i think ads used in sporting events such as foootball or f1 for example should run in the corner of the screen to allow unbroken action.that way many more people would stay put and contiune watching

[ianess]

You're so right, In A Pickle......I forgot to include trailers in my original list, but at least on BBC that's about all you get.  On satellite or cable the progammes almost seem to be incidental to the adverts, and personally I don't find channel -hopping a successful way to avoid them.  All cable channels seem to run their adverts at the same time.         There is no escape!!

Good point by Mattk re possible split-screen adverts in the likes of F1. At least live might mean live.

[Headtime]

IndieSinger, I'm afraid you are sadly wrong to believe that any company is able to pay "vast sums of money" to the BBC to rig the effectiveness of their products on a show. That just doesn't happen, believe me.

Which is not to say that people do not advertise their wares on the BBC. Anyone promoting their new album by playing on Later With Jools is advertising. Hoardings at football matches (on the rare occasions the BBC screens them) are also advertising. As are all those slimy companies who pledge money on Children in Need in return for an on-screen mention.

[jaydj]

I know it might sound silly but i always have a few things to do planed when the ads come on like- make a cup of tea, read paper, check loto numbers, text a friend, wash up, empty bins, have a shave, check e-mail etc....just to stop me being bored to death by those adverts

[frizzytwig]

I read an article in the paper a few weeks back (so depends on if you believe what you read) that Sky had invented a box that can record without adverts- how great would that be.  Apparently the advertisers feel this would be unfair as they wouldnt be able to advertise their crap to us whenever they feel like it, its probably against their civil liberties somewhere along the line.  I say go forth Sky and do it, we want it.

[IndieSinger]

frizzytwig - then it all boils down to whether you're prepared to pay a fee to not have adverts. If Sky are planning on going ahead with the scheme, then many advertisers won't want to advertise with them, which means Sky will charge a higher fee to have access to advert-less recordings. Kind of how the BBC are now. Personally, I think it's great that we can pay �115 (or whatever it is now) per year and have a few quality channels with no overt advertising.