Predominantly since the rise of “entertaining” advertising, there are people who may like an advertisement enough to desire to watch it later or show it to a friend. As a general rule, the advertising community has not yet made this opportunity easy, though some have used the Internet to broadly distribute their ads to anyone wishing to see or hear them.

Another important trend regarding prospect of advertising is the growing significance of niche or targeted ads. Advertisers will have an growing ability to reach particular audiences. Formerly, the most effective way to deliver a message was to blanket the biggest mass market audience possible.

In the United Kingdom the majority of forms of outdoor advertising such as the display of billboards is controlled by the UK Town and County Planning structure. At present the display of an advertisement without permission from the Planning Authority is a illegal offense liable to a fine of £2500 per offence. All of the major outdoor billboard companies in the UK have persuasion of this nature.

Obviously, a lot of advertisers view governmental control or even self-regulation as interference of their freedom of speech or a necessary evil.