Podbuster Ads

We were talking in class on Tuesday about the "arms race" between the consumer and the marketer. As consumers find methods to avoid exposure to commercial messages, marketers must find ways to get around these methods. We talked about how technologies such as DVRs have lead to the latest escalation and an increase in product placement on television. Well, you may have also noticed that it's getting more difficult to just fast forward through advertisement blocks as stations try to trick you into stopping in the middle of these blocks by making you think that the show is back on. This technique is called "podbusting" and a great article and mp3 clip on this technique was on NPR this past week.

Dressed To Impress: Unilever, a conglomerate behind various products, from food (Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton teas) to body wash (Axe and Ponds), bought into the Mad Men aesthetic with podbuster advertisements that evoke the TV drama's look. (image and caption compliments of NPR)