I've had this entry in mind for a while, delayed, possibly, by the simultaneously eye-numbing and hypnotic sensation caused by the daily visual assault of advertising.

Here's some observations I believe are good enough proof advertising's gone from a respectable industry to a bunch chest-thumping gorillas:

1. We've all seen the innumerable amount of billboards in the city, some of which seriously lack taste, never mind decent art direction. Many are calling for an end to the "carpet bombing." Seriously, our streets are getting uglier with all those beveled type.

2. Both GMA and ABS-CBN have renounced their membership with the broadcasting body KBP, allowing them to control how much advertising to air and when to air it. That's really long-hand for: P&G and Unilever can take their war to the people untramelled. So, now, you never know which show starts when. It just starts sometime after the show before it.

3. The INQ7.net website, that, according to Alexa.com is the most popular site based in the Philippines, has a homepage that's a whopping 851 KB!! Even worse, the ABS-CBN news site checks in at a monstrous 1104 KB. Compare that to this blog at 264 KB, 292 KB for CNN.com or 416 KB for NYTimes.com. How can you read that if you're on dial-up like most Filipinos are? Maybe Filipinos abroad can deal with the weight, and it seems like the advertisers are targeting them anyway.

(Even if there are some elements cached in your browser, those local news sites still take upwards of 700 KB to load.)

And the reason why these sites are overweight? It's not the fries and milkshakes. (Actually, in a way, it is.)

So, with advertising getting in the way of access to information, entertainment and a decent drive (actually, it's more like the government allowing this to happen by refusing to regulate the industry), the best thing to do is stay home, hide the car keys and read a book.

P.S. No need to remind me of my Masters degree.

Tags: advertising, philippines, media, media+issues, media+literacy, outdoor+advertising, Alexa, Philippine+Daily+Inquirer, ABS-CBN, KBP