Fooch's Update: The ad will actually stop when the ball is snapped, so it will still appear before the snap.

Apparently the Internet might have a little power after all. Toyota has announced they will end their televised on-field advertising at 49ers games, which consisted primarily of a huge Toyota brand on the field when a team entered the red zone.

Toyota is a sponsor of 49ers games, and part of the activation included the red zone ad up above. It showed up and caught most of us off guard. It was loud and obtrusive, and even though it came off once the play got going, it hung around just long enough to be a distraction.

Thankfully, Toyota was not so stubborn as to ignore how much people hated the branding. A spokesperson for Toyota had the following statement:

"We're football fans too. We've heard fan feedback and it's not our intention to distract from the joy of the game. Toyota will continue to be a strong supporter of the 49ers as part of our multi-year partnership and we're working to ensure that future brand mentions won't distract from game play. During the remainder of the 49ers' pre-season games, fans and viewers should no longer see the Toyota Red Zone once the ball is snapped."

I get why Toyota tried this out. They have a captive audience, and it is an easy branding option. That being said, while some may say any PR is good PR, I'm not sure this marketing campaign was going to help them in a positive way. And so, we move on!