For the last several years, I've attended Microsoft's conference for advertisers--this year, it's called Advance '08--and it's always a bit like walking through a portal to an alternate universe.

Maybe it's because I grew up watching TV, but I've always looked at advertising like homework or lima beans--you have to accept it to get the stuff you really want. But whenever I attend this conference, I'm struck by how advertisers are big on the idea that end-users will not only accept, but gleefully embrace advertising if it's relevant, entertaining, and sufficiently subtle. There's certainly evidence to support this, like all those TV commercials posted on YouTube.