WHAT IS IT? "F to the R to the E to the E..."

JINGLE ALL THE WAY: Even those of us who despise Madison Avenue and in-your-face marketing in general have to admit: those freecreditreport.com songs are catchy. Looking back over 2008, for better or worse it's been one stuck-in-your-head tune after another. The songs are addictive enough to encourage many folks to seek them out online and add them to their MP3 players, a triumph for advertisers but perhaps a sad commentary on what passes for good music these days.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is, of course, rife with opinions about the quality of the music, the lyrics, the band, the main actor and the product being pitched (apparently the "reports" aren't really "free.") According to the rumors, the band's name is either Free Credit Report Dot Com or The Free Credit Report Dot Com Band. And the lead guy, the one who is always complaining about being blindsided by bad credit, is reportedly a comedian. And he doesn't really sing. Maybe.

SEEING SPOTS: The ads (affectionately known by their themes: "Pirate," "Bike," "Girlfriend," "Car" and "Rock Star"). Are firmly entrenched on YouTube and embedded in blogs around the net where they are almost always followed by page after page of argumentative comments.

LOOKING FORWARD: With the Super Bowl rapidly approaching, some net denizens are expectant. Will we see a half-time FCRDC rock opera? Time will tell.