I think there is a certain difference between the show pausing for 5 minutes to show me an ad of a brand new Jeep, that has absolutely nothing to do with the show I was watching, and the character in the show using a brand new Jeep with the logo prominently visible. The first one gets in the way of me enjoying the show, the second one does not.
The comparison between a long ad break and a single minor product placement isn't a fair, I've never seen a single 5 minute ad for a car on TV. But I guess it does answer the question of how some people think.