This is from Oct 2000 weblog of Doc Searls on why ebay shouldnt become an ad-based business model, but in BB terms its as clear as we marketing vets can get

I worked in advertising for much of my adult life, and I must tell you a dirty secret problem the whole industry would rather not face: there is no demand for messages.

The advertising business, which includes the commercial media, doesn't want to face the fact that their "audiences" would never pay for advertising's goods. Even the term "audience" is a delusional metaphorical conceit. Book a theater to show nothing but advertising and see who shows up, even if it's free.

The "targets" advertising seeks to "impact" and "penetrate" with "campaigns" that "deliver messages" is tired of being attacked. Their lack of demand for advertising's ordnance is a brutal reality that the advertising industry cannot bear to confront.

In fact, "absence" doesn't begin to cover the kind of non-demand we're talking about here. If demand could be metered, most advertising would peg to the negative.

For evidence, let's ask the most awful question commercial television could possibly hear: What would happen if MUTE buttons on TV remote controls delivered "we don't want to hear this" messages directly to the advertisers who pay for commercial television? Advertising as we know it would be dead in a day.
http://doc.weblogs.com/stories/storyReader$337

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PS regarding Toyota- actually in my book its always been a very obvious case of living the brand; it is said its American factory can produce a million different car designs at less cost and higher quality than many american manufacturers can produce 1000 different options. Reason is its makes customisation interesting work for those in the plant, so the cases I've read up benchmark posted by ..., 10:41 AM  permalink