Advertising overkill

From Fool.com:

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) has come up with an innovative process to place images and text on the surface of Pringles potato chips -- or should that be crisps (I always forget). So now a person can spy one message or other before she downs the next victim from the canister.

According to the release, first up will be a promotion involving one of Hasbro's (NYSE: HAS) popular board games, "Trivial Pursuit Junior." Questions from that brand will be featured on the crisps, along with the answers, of course. (Actually, P&G should consider placing the questions in one canister of crisps and the answers in another canister to double sales -- as well as the anger level of consumers, I suppose). The launch of this initiative is scheduled for summertime.

It won't stop there, obviously. This will only be the tip of the iceberg. All kinds of advertisements could be placed on the product.

This drives me crazy. I can't go anywhere or do anything without having an advertisement stuffed in my face. Literally.

Comments

[Bob Watkins]

The last straw for me is the set of display ads on the wall in the men's bathroom, above the urinals. Is nothing sacred?!?

[Graham Glass]

This reminds me a little of a scene in Alice in Wonderland, in which the drink has the label "drink me" and the cake has the label says "eat me"... or something like that ;-)

[Roger]

The alternative is that you dont have to buy the product. It may be tough I understand but foregoing Pringles shouldn't be too difficult.

The whole concept of processed food is one entire advertisement: You see the ad on TV of young kids having fun with their chips, so when you go to the beach you pick some up (the canister is also a protective barrier, bonus). Then when you have the chips you are thinking of that commercial and then images of other commercials pop into your head: wow a Pepsi really goes well with these (since that ad was on either before or after) and a Honda Element would be great to( one was in the Pringles or Pepsi ad).

The fact that they are using the surface of the chip to advertise is pretty cool. The only downfall would be if they start advertising Rolaids, etc.

[Johnnie Moore]

You and me both, Jennifer. It makes you wonder what P&G's "higher purpose" is and how this supports it. Or have they got some research to show that their customers' top need right now isn't healthier nutrition... do they have a survey to show that what we're thinking is..."you know, my life is great but what I really want is to be on the end of more marketing messages" ?

[Effern]

On the flip side, writing ad copy with syrup on a stack of pancakes would give new meaning to "sticky content".

Groan yourself.