Pipe-bomb advertising.

I'm reading a book now called "Days of Rage." At this point, about 100 pages into the book, the story is about an era I lived through but barely remember. That is, the terrorism wrought by the radical group, The Weatherman movement.

There's a point about advertising in here, so hold on.

The Weather Underground blew things up. They planned to "off pigs," carry-out political kidnappings and if a baby or two got killed along the way, well that was collateral damage.

The Weather Underground were like a lot of clients, in my view.

They saw people not as living, breathing individuals. But as an abstraction. Something that could be dealt with en masse, or in a way that shows they don't really care.

Advertising is not meant to serve or help the customer. It's meant to explode around the customer (like a pipe-bomb) until you're wounded or estranged.

Just think of the SPAM in your in-box, most auto-dealer ads, and almost all telco ads. These ads are the blunt percussive black-jacks of the marketing world. They rob you of your time, insult your intelligence and in general, treat you like you're a fool and a dimwit.

Nothing is said or done that isn't deceptive, doesn't need an asterisk or delivers real value.

Marketers have a choice.

Treat people as they would like to be treated.

Or act like a terrorist.