Today's New York Times

OHMYGAWD!!!
First, pictures. Then, pictures in color. Now this! Barf!

I've seen, I think, ads on the front page before now.

Mostly at this holiday time of the year.

Joe(now I am doubting myself)Nation

It was bound to happen. You hang out with yourself too much!

And.... he went on....

What's the problem? Every square inch of available space is a prime target for an ad; the handles of the local markets shopping basket -3/4 of an inch wide-now proclaim some benefit to be derived from eating somebody's cereal.

The Times sells ads to keep the bloody thing at $2.00 a day here in the city.

Joe(SELL MORE- as long as there is still News Fit to Print)Nation

I had to check the date to see if this was a new thread -- seems to be.

Yes, they've been doing it for a while.

I thought there was another thread about it. Haven't looked.
Agree with JoeNation.

Just checked, it's been going on for almost exactly three years:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/business/media/05times.html

(Almost said "two years," not completely used to this 2012 thing.)

It did startle me at first but I don't notice it at all anymore.

That, of course, is the point. You don't notice it, but you do see it, read it, your mind/brain takes it in and later, suggests it to you.

(There are studies about eye movement and comprehension confirming all this or Madison Ave wouldn't be spending all of its efforts on massaging the messages you get all day and night.)

~ ~
My least favorite present day advertising tool is the immediate email/SMS to my phone as I am leaving a place of business.
It startles me, irritates me just a little until I remember that I volunteered to have it sent to me.

If you used a credit card online at Staples, Bed-Bath and Beyond, Target, Macy's and lots of other places (and don't opt out or subscribe to the service,) and you use that credit card while checking out of the physical store, before you can get to the door, your phone beeps with a reminder message that says, sort of, "Hey-thanks for buying those sheets and pillowcases, um, did you know that towels and bathroom rugs are on sale--40% off??? "

(Okay. I confess. I've twice gone back in to see if I can use whatever they are talking about.)
~~
Your iPhone/Blackberry already broadcasts who you are as you walk around, unless you shut it off as you go into Staples, it tells you that you wanted to know when that glossy photo paper was going on sale.

Joe(I did?? Oh, yes. ••• I did.)Nation
<•.•>

Of course. That's been known since the 1950s when Vance Packard exposed the whole Mad Ave M.O. in The Hidden Persuaders. The most effective advertising consists of the subliminal stuff that you're not even aware you're seeing or noticing.

Lustig (I'm suddenly having a BigMac attack) Andrei

I was influenced by that book to reconsider going into advertising, back in the day. Not that advertising was my only interest but one of the two main ones.

Funny. It was in part, at least, this book that convinced me I wanted to have nothing to do with the sad and sorry mind-games of Madison Avenue. (Later ended up working there -- for a very short time -- anyway in a p.r. firm. )

To be clear, I meant that it helped me decide I didn't want to go into advertising.