What’s wrong with prime-time television?

Well, we could offer our humble opinion, but we’ll leave it to the viewers polled recently by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Association of American Advertising Agencies.

Topping the list was “too many ads,” an opinion held by 32 percent of those polled. By way of comparison, only 22 percent thought the quality of the programming was the biggest issue facing TV, and a mere 4 percent thought it was profanity.

Surprised? Neither are we. After all, anyone who’s been paying any attention to the runaway sales of digital video recorders can tell you that viewers don’t like to have their programs interrupted, even if those interruptions help pay for the programs they want to see.

And, heck, it’s not just television. People don’t want their dinner interrupted by telemarketing calls, their online surfing disrupted by pop-up ads or their e-mail correspondence clogged by unwanted messages. In short, people don’t want marketing to be an intrusion on their regular habits.

Today’s marketing challenge isn’t finding a more creative way to interrupt someone, it’s finding a way to engage them with your product. And we couldn’t stand ourselves if we didn’t point out that direct mail is the best way to do just that. Research shows that 98 percent of all consumers bring their mail into the home on the day it’s delivered (how’s that for engagement) and 77 percent sort it immediately.

While they seek out new ways to avoid television ads, consumers look forward to interacting with their mail — on a daily basis.

Clearly when it comes to getting your marketing noticed, it’s better to be in the box than on the box. It goes back to what your mom always told you: It’s not polite to interrupt, dear.