When I was in college, I learned that everything you see on TV has been tested for a particular target audience. If an ad you see doesn't convince you to buy something, it's not that the ad is bad, it's just not targeting you. Certainly there are bad ads (like ads about Cialis), but in general, you should not call an ad bad simply because you think it's bad. It probably was not meant to influence you in the first place.
This is true of regular TV programming as well. 60 Minutes targets older Americans. Except I have been watching it since I was in college. Meet The Press doesn't exactly target a younger demographic, yet I like that show, too. I have always said that I am probably 40 in my viewing habits.
As I get older though, my viewing habits have gotten older. Lately, I have started watching Larry King Live. No joke. I used to blast past the show channel surfing, snickering at the show. Now I watch it as much as I can. Larry King is a great interviewer.
The same is true of what I read as well. When I was in college, I would vomit in my mouth at the thought of reading "The New Yorker." Too much prose! Sure the writing is good, but for enjoyment? Now I subscribe to The New Yorker.
The only magazine that I have consistently subscribed to since college? Newsweek. Except there's no way that magazine targets me directly. How many covers in the last year have been of kids or children, clearly targeting moms? Too many to count. This week, Newsweek has a picture of Sarah Palin on the cover with a gun on her shoulder. I taste the vomit in my mouth yet again.
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