Everywhere you turn, you're being sold something. Between billboards, emails, text messages, and targeted ads on social media, it seems like there's no escape.
A Redditor went to the r/Anticonsumption subreddit to share a photo of the surprising place they found an advertisement.
The image revealed an ad for ACR Poker that was found inside of a fortune cookie — a bit of a disappointment when you're expecting words of hope and wisdom.
The caption above the photo read, "I'm calling it now, at some point there will be toilet paper with ads on it."
It really has begun to feel like the marketing industry knows no bounds, and it makes you wonder just what they'll think of next.
According to Insider Intelligence, with the trajectory we're on, the overall media ad spend worldwide will surpass $1 trillion in 2024. That's a lot of money when you take into consideration that the purpose of advertising is to drive consumption — and businesses expect a return.
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In this case, it might seem like just a small piece of paper inside of a cookie, but the numbers can add up quickly. Large amounts of money, water, and trees go into the production of these advertisements. The processing and transportation create harmful air pollution due to the high volume.
According to Time, 2016 data from the Chinese Restaurant Association showed that there were over 45,000 Chinese restaurants in operation across the United States — more than every McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Wendy's combined.
"Is the advertising industry going to help or hinder society in its attempt to reach net zero?" asked Jonathan Wise, a co-founder of the nonprofit group Purpose Disruptors, as reported by the Guardian. "At the moment, on balance of evidence, the decision is to hinder. It's advertising driving consumption upward."
The overall reaction to the post was a collective frown.
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"That actually really p***** me off," commented one Redditor.
"That's dystopian," another said.
"This made me sad," wrote a third.
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