When Did AdvertisingBecome Entertainment?

I must have missed the memo.
When did it become
mandatory to entertain people
with advertising? Aren't there
enough lame sitcoms out there
to watch? I guess I'm too old school. I come from a
background where advertising
was educational,
informational, and about
brand identity. As an informed
consumer I would like to know more about the product
and be less entertained.
Watching cute little 3D
animated characters hit on
each other doesn't give me the
information I need to make an informed decision. Apparently
though, some consumers
would rather be entertained
than informed or educated.
Have we really sunk that low?
Really?

How can you expect potential
customers to buy your product
if they don't know anything
about it? Shouldn't you tell
them what makes your
product superior to your competitors? Shouldn't you tell
them the value added they
receive by buying your
product over someone else's?
Maybe it's better that a cute
little squirrel chases after an acorn tumbling down a hill.
What the hell does that have to
do with your product?
Advertising that doesn't
educate doesn't attract
customers. It might entertain them for a few seconds and
then they are on to the next
entertaining commercial.

So you're having a big sale
next week and you decide that
the squirrel chasing an acorn is
so entertaining that you build
your advertising campaign
around it and run an ad featuring him next week to
promote your sale. However
the squirrel fails to tell your
potential customers the
location, store hours, and limits
of the sale. Nobody shows up, but be assured they were
entertained. Advertising
should inform your customers
of not only who you are and
what you sell but also inform
them about your promotions, your sales, and your special
offers and coupons.