If television viewers can't avoid1 having things sold to them while they're watching the latest episode of Justice or The West Wing, then it's pretty much in everyone's best interest if the advertisements are entertaining. The growing trend of absurdity in commercials is one that, while yeah, really exploitative of the whole awkward mainstream/indie mentality, I think I can readily support. Those commercials with deadpan acting, intentionally shoddy special effects, &c. that are intended to make people rethink2 things when really all they do is appeal to the already established love of weird, offbeat humor couldn't please me more when they show up on the tube. It's too obvious that they're engineered to be endearing, but you wouldn't be able to quote3 me as saying that I'm not won over by their deliberate awkwardness.
The following Skittles ad totally exemplifies what I'm talking about:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qp0WBiME_fM
1 I'm not any sort of expert but I assume that the popularity of digital video recorders (e.g. TiVo) sort of confounds the whole practice of making televised advertisements.
2 (E.g. commercials that start out with the brand being advertised and then taking you on a crazy voyage where absolutely nothing is commercial-like or even "mainstream"* media-like.)
*Keep in mind that offbeat humor/indie mentality is now as much a part of the mainstream culture of the United States as Prison Break.
3 Barring any sort of creative citation on your part
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