Mute it until they stop
Do you ever find yourself fumbling for the remote to turn down the television volume when a commercial is suddenly blasting your ears out? I sure have. And it’s happening more and more. When I was a kid it was drag race commercials, but the plague has spread to just about all of them now (anyone super irritated by the GAP Holiday Cheer ads?). So lodged a complaint with the FCC, after a few weeks I got an email response stating while it was illegal to increase the volume level, the advertiser could employ other tactics, which they explained. But since I am not a sound engineer, all I understood was something about gain… anyway it was by tweaking the sound levels they could make them louder without increasing the volume. Or by annoying subject matter and repetitious media placement:
I suspect this is happening because advertisers know we have left the room to get a bite from the fridge, so they want you to be able to hear the commercial across the house. Or, we’re not paying attention, or flat out ignoring them. They claim the declining viewership of TV commercials is a result of TIVO/DVR recording, (I love fast forwarding through the commercials), but I think the number one reason is the sheer suckiness of the stuff, I just can’t bear to watch them. So, instead of making a better product they just make it even more obnoxious. If I can’t fast forward, change the channel, or play something on my iPhone, I mute the sound.
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