I received my degree in marketing and minor in psychology, so I'm probably one of the few people out there who enjoy analyzing advertisements carefully for content, message, and other variables. It's become apparent that ads for a wide array of marketers ranging from Progressive and State Farm to Geico and Aflak are making their ads decidedly obnoxious these days. Take Progressive, for example. Never has Flo -- the character portrayed by actor and comedian Stephanie Courtney, who's appeared in more than 100 commercials for the company since 2008 -- made me crack even the slightest smile. The Aflak duck was amusing in the 90s, but not anymore -- now you almost feel like throwing a rock at your television set whenever it pops up. Companies are incorporating more animals, loud noises, and silly antics to grab the consumer's attention. What many of these marketers fail to realize is that the most successful ads in recent years -- those of Budweiser and car companies l...