We’ve all been there. We’re watching our favorite show, when an ASPCA commercial comes on. You know, the ones with the sad music, the pitiful-looking dogs, the narrator telling you how you can make this all go away by donating. Now you find yourself not only wishing you could see a Tide commercial, but angry that an organization that does so much good can pull at the heartstrings of viewers using what seems like a 15-minute commercial. Unfortunately, people are becoming annoyed with the commercials. What was once a psychologically affecting program has now become a source of irritation. The concept behind the commercials is to gather donations, but what happens more often than not is people change the channel, get up to get a snack, or mute the sound until the commercial is off. Although the commercials make people emotional, many won’t donate because they feel they're being manipulated. Many have even asked why the organization doesn’t use the money they spend on the extremely long commercials to take care of the needs of their suffering animals. People are so fed up with the commercials that websites like iPetitions and Change.org have active petitions to stop the depressing TV spots. The ASPCA could gain more donations from making some changes to their commercials, beginning with paring them down to just a few seconds. People would be more inclined to watch if they showed clips of animals living in happy, loving homes after being adopted.
