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. With Mad Men musings
At this point I think the only interesting thing about Mad Men (to me) is the disconnect between the amount of attention it gets from the media and marketing crowd, and the number of people who actually watch it.
Did you know, to cite a random example, that a recent rerun of Two And A Half Men got nearly triple the audience of the Mad Men season premiere (which apparently was the latter show’s largest audience ever)?
Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.
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Kim Fellner's book 
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Reader Comments
Even when you compare Mad Men to other basic cable shows, the disconnect is still apparent – “Psych” and “Burn Notice”, which both air on USA and get very little media attention, attract almost twice the audience.
There’s certainly a large gap between ratings and media mindshare. I was incredibly surprised to discover that The Daily Show’s regular viewing audience is around 1.5 million people.
I enjoy Mad Men, and enjoyed “catching up on” your first season observations. Your are correct that the second season had far less to remark on regarding advertising, persuasion and marketing. If the show goes for ratings, it may not be as relevant to its fans who enjoy the commentary on consumer behavior and changing social mores. It will become a soap opera that doesn’t take the audience anywhere, like the Sopranos morphed into.
Another example of a media phenomenon that didn’t really strike a chord with the mainstream: On the night of the big “Sex in the City” finale, it was beaten in the ratings by Fox’s “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance.”
It’s a fine show, and I’m glad it’s on, particularly since there’s nothing else on right now. But I have to say I think I enjoy reading about Mad Men much more than I enjoy watching it.