I’ve noticed a pattern over the past few years, and I’m not sure that television advertisers will be too happy about it. The pattern is simple: I watch a program until the commercials begin, I pick up the remote, and I mute the TV commercials until the show comes back. Does anyone else do this? I tend to use the commercial time for a bathroom break, for a quick snack, or simply for a few minutes of peace and quiet. No matter how you use your commercial breaks, I find that I never actually pay attention to television ads anymore. Why is this? I’m really not sure, but I think it could have something to do with too many “bad apples” giving all of the other commercials a bad name. That’s right, male-enhancement-pill commercials! I’m talking to you! Not to mention, it seems like the commercials are always three hundred times louder than the actual show you were watching, so then you have to scramble for the volume control (lest your ears become useless). What’s up with that?
The strange thing is that radio commercials, billboards, and other advertisements don’t have the same effect on me. What do you suppose the difference is? Perhaps I’m the only one who notices my newfound ignorance of commercials, but I’m very anxious to hear what the rest of you have to say about it. With the dawn of TiVo and other recording devices along the same lines, ignoring commercials is becoming easier and easier to do…but maybe if they were a little bit more interesting and a little bit less obnoxious, then people wouldn’t have to ignore them!
Article by Jill Tooley
Jill has been obsessed with words since her fingers could turn the pages of a book. She’s a hopeless bibliophile who recently purchased a Kindle after almost 6 years of radical opposition, and she loves stumbling upon new music on Pandora. Random interests include (but are not limited to) bookstores, movie memorabilia, comic book conventions, and adorable rodents. In addition to managing the QLP blog, Jill also manages the content development team and the company’s social media accounts.
