I've used VLC since around 2001. I always thought of VLC as a powerful media player that you could throw any format at and it'd just play (including subtitle formats, colouring, etc). Not to mention the powerful filtering and network options.

I've also been blocking ads since the same time and I would have never seen this ad. It definitely cheapens the brand and strips away some of the "warm fuzzy" feeling I get when I think "VLC".