As a new member of SB (March 1st) I've been seeing that ad pop up on my computer screen for a little over two weeks. I remembered the silicone girl, but that's it. Until I saw this discussion under "new posts" and clicked in, I didn't even realize it was an ad for rebreathers.
I work in advertising. The triad of advertising effectiveness is "attention-association-retention." They did one thing right, they got my attention. They did one thing wrong, they didn't associate (or anchor) my attention to the product promoted. By missing the second leg there's no way I could retain anything for a future purchase decision.
Granted, as a new diver I might not be their target market, but that doesn't mean I won't be someday.
Having said all that, this discussion is free advertising and effectively completes the triad for the advertiser because it created focus on the ad, essentially anchoring the product in our minds. You may respond negatively to the ad, but when you're standing in front a lineup of rebreathers listening to the features/benefits of each one, you'll remember the ad. If you like what you hear on the rebreather in question, your negative response to the ad will most likely be diminished.