Most hated media choices, SpaSMS, DM and spam.

Whats the ad temperature in Europe these days? The International Herald Tribune tracks taste in new EU states, alcohol advertising is banned in some European countries like Poland, and the call for new Europe wide rules is getting louder. What may be advertised and how is something that the EU looks like it will agree on, already Haribo the candy maker pulled their ads and in-school promotions before it becomes law.

Where it's advertised though, it looks like the consumers themselves will draw the line. Both MediaBulletin and the MediaGuardian report about a huge spike in complaints about SpaSMS and emailmarketing (aka spam) in the UK.

In 2002, the ASA received only 17 complaints about email marketing campaigns but this figure rose to 455 in 2003. There were 65 complaints about text messaging campaigns in 2002, but 393 in 2003 -- a 500% increase.

A far cry from three years ago when the UK Advertising Standards Authority didn't receive a single complaint about email marketing.

This doesn't mean you'll be able to escape ads completely anytime soon, even the old sandwich board is back in a new form where the board-carrier can take the message out to your pub or grab you as you walk there. How long before pub owners put their foot down and claim private property remains to be seen.