Why I Sell Ads Even Though I Can’t Stand Them

I’m in an interesting quandary. I sell advertising—yet I hate commercials. And I don’t mean mildly dislike them. I really hate them.

All commercials. All formats. All platforms.

They’re intrusive. They hijack my scrolling. They interrupt my news intake. I can’t even watch a simple how-to video on YouTube without staring at that little countdown clock, waiting to skip the ad… only to have another one pop up in its place like a shark’s tooth.

It wasn’t always this way.

In the old days, there were the big three. Newspaper—the old queen of media. This is where we got the news of the world, sports, business, and culture. The good old Fourth Estate, an extension of the European concept of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. Newspapers were the modern town crier. They were trusted. They were authoritative. They were the be-all, end-all.

Then there was radio. From its earliest days, radio created the Theatre of the Mind. Listeners imagined the story—and the product—in full living color inside their own heads. Radio was our companion, first in the living room, then on tabletops, then in our pockets, cars, and waking us in the morning. How many songs can you still hear because you woke up to them on the radio?

And then came television. Only the biggest brands could afford it, which meant if a product was on TV, it must be something special. Shows themselves were branded—Ford Television Theatre, The Colgate Comedy Hour. Procter & Gamble owned the afternoon dramas, giving us the term “soap operas.” TV was powerful. TV was trustworthy.

Advertising had a place. A respected one.

Fast forward to today, and everything screams for attention. Nothing waits its turn. That’s why people hate ads now—because they interrupt instead of invite.

So the question always comes up: Why do you sell advertising if you hate commercials so much?

Because I’m the guy you want selling your advertising precisely because I hate them.

I think like the consumer—because I am one. I know where ads belong, and more importantly, where they don’t. I believe placement, context, and restraint matter more than volume. The best advertising doesn’t ruin the experience—it enhances it. It shows up where people already trust the environment, without hijacking their time or patience.

I don’t sell noise. I sell relevance.

Because the world doesn’t need more clutter—and your brand deserves better than being skipped.