Advertising, Marketing, all that kind of thing

I've been reading all these newsletters about how marketers can use blogs as advertising vehicles (They also talk about IM and picture phones). It seems to me that what they're advocating is the same as putting handwritten ads on community bulletin boards, pretending they're from your neighbors. It's one thing for my friend to call me on my cell and send a picture of his new car, just because he's excited about it, but it's another thing entirely to have Bob's Subaru send me a picture of the new Forester on my cell because they want me to buy one.

Just because there's a new way for people to talk to one another, that doesn't mean it has to be an advertising medium, does it? Let's hope not.