How much is too much ambient media?

Ambient media, also known as outdoor and out-of-home,etc, has boomed over the last couple years. The Media Guardian questions if all the various new forms are starting to be overkill. The latest companies includeWashroom Media Network, who plans to reach one million people in a six month period by broadcasting music videos, film clips and advertising messages in handdryers in public restrooms equipped built in digital displays, MediaRail, who call themselves "the brand of the hand", as they place ads on escalators and handrails in airports and other public places, FreeCar, who pays its drivers up to $400 per month to drive their vehicles or to have your own car wrapped with ads, and Nytmedie bringing ads to baby carriages. (site in Danish)

And of course, there's Dogvertising and advertising on your forehead.

Is there an end in sight? Or will we be tripping over ads?

From the Guardian article, at least some realize they need to be cautious. "According to John Harlow, partner at media strategists Naked, with the rapid rise of ambient advertising there has also been a rise in the number of campaigns using ambient indiscriminately. 'Do you want to trip over a message for cheap phone calls when you're out on the town? I think not,' he says. 'It's important to remember ambient can really encroach on people's personal space. If it's appropriate use of the medium that's fine, but if it's simply opportunistic the danger is people will simply switch off - not just that campaign but other ambient messages, too.'