Saturday, October 5, 2013

Ad(s) Nauseam

You can't escape advertising in Bangkok. It bombards you everywhere you go. Shophouses display vinyl banners that advertise everything from Coca-cola to new condominiums, department stores hang three-story high signs announcing sales, presenters in malls scream into microphones to promote new products, and the skytrain has monitors that show commercials non-stop. Now, you can't even avoid advertising when you're in Bangkok taxis. Lately, TVs showing only commercials have sprung up on headrests in some cabs. Regardless of the type of ads they show, this in-your-face tactic is annoying, even if they are only advertising things like dog shampoo.