August 31, 2026
From a writing perspective, how do you view advertisements for products or services (on TV, in magazines, online)?
I don’t “do” ads.
In fact, that’s the primary reason I don’t watch TV anymore. I can’t stand ads. I can’t help but tear them apart and find the flaws. Makes the experience irritating for my husband. And ads online? Truth is, I don’t “see” them. My eyes and brain ignore them. Even the ads that Facebook pushes as posts from people you might know do nothing but irritate me. They don’t make to want their product, quite the opposte. The ones in the margins don’t exist as far as I’m concerned. I can’t be anonymous online, but I can be as boring as possible to advertisers. A black hole.
Word of mouth is different. That’s what I pay attention to. When a fellow author sings the praises of a program, or an editor, or a particular service, I’m listening.
What does that mean for my writing?
Well, especially as I am retired, I miss out on a lot of current cultural references. I can’t tell you the names of the newest TV shows or the hottest movies. They aren’t important to my stories, so they don’t get included.
How about the other authors on this hop? How do they view advertisements? Find out by following the links below.
As always, please stay safe until the next time.
August 31, 2026
From a writing perspective, how do you view advertisements for products or services (on TV, in magazines, online)?
I think the ads when I was younger were far better. I don’t mind one with a clever twist or good humour in it, the rest are fast-forward-fodder. BTW, I never spotted the prompt for this topic in the FB group. Is it being put out somewhere else?
Richard, I don’t know what happened to the prompt. I reloaded it this morning.
I think many people fast-forward ads. They’re too irritating these days, and the screen changes so many times in a minute that it puts me off.
I agree. Ads are irritating, and I think the creators try too hard. Or maybe not hard enough.
I agree. They are irritating. The word salad (all those meaningless adjectives strung together) and the number of them. Too much!
And I love picking them apart – but it irritates my husband so I walk away