An attention-grabbing advertisement drifting down the River Thames in England prompted a Reddit thread dedicated to deciphering the meaning behind the glaring sign. 

The original poster shared a photo of the promotion on the r/London subreddit. In the picture, a boat can be seen pulling a neon sign with the phrase "3rd Time Unlucky" down the water. 

"Me and the missus captured this boat going past our window just now," the OP wrote. "Any idea what it is? We're stumped."

Commenters were quick to uncover the reason for the sign. It was a promotion for a streaming television series. "Promo for Slow Horses (Apple TV show)," one commenter revealed. 

While some commenters were impressed, others were annoyed by the promotion. "I hate that ads can just take up space in our view, wherever tf they want," a Redditor wrote. 

"Well, I have now heard of the show but have a vague resentment towards it because of the intrusive advertising," another Reddit user said. 

While clever advertising may draw in new consumers, an overabundance of promotion creates troubling circumstances for the environment by producing planet-overheating pollution. It's especially concerning when the average American is exposed to 5,000 ads per day, per the University of Southern California.  

One ad campaign generates 70 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, according to Moeve Global. For comparison, it takes an entire year for seven people to produce the same amount of emissions on average. 

Increased advertising also encourages excessive consumption, which contributes to overflowing landfills. Nearly 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills in the United States each year, according to Popular Science. Just one pair of those shoes will take about 30 to 40 years to decompose. 

There are easy steps consumers can take to manage their consumption habits. Shopping at thrift stores helps reduce waste and save money. Websites like ThredUp enable customers to find affordable secondhand items without leaving the house. 

Do you think we should be trying to pull pollution out of the atmosphere? Absolutely 👍 I need to know more 🤔 In some situations 🏭 No way 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

As for the advertisement on the River Thames, the messaging of the creative marketing strategy may have backfired with some consumers. 

"I thought it was a wedding party boat or something haha," one commenter admitted.

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