Ever since I first saw that horrible Pepsi commercial with Beyonce Knowles
spoofing Carmen, I've been thinking a lot about something and I wanted
to see what everyone here thought about it.  What do you think about
classical music being used in commercials?  On one hand, it offends me
to hear some of the best music ever composed turned into commercial
jingles to sell soft drinks, makeup and electronics.  On the other, I
think that it can help introduce more people to the music, and that if
the classical meme has any chance of surviving in the modern world, maybe
this is the only way.  I also think that, while it may introduce people
to the music, it may also cheapen their view of it.  It's bad enough
most people already seem to feel that classical music is some snobbish
ancient relic, but if they associate the "Blue Danube Waltz" with Avon,
that's another matter entirely.  It's also a marked improvement over
some of the music they could play; I'd much rather spend 30 seconds
listening to Beethoven's Ninth being used to sell phone service than
that vomit-inducing Fanta jingle.  What's your opinion?

P.S. I apologize if this subject has been discussed before, but I'm still
new here and when I searched the list archives I didn't find anything
similar.