Whether or not a Bubble Guru or Site Pal automatically launches is really the creators or marketers choice.
These are just tools and it's up to the users to decide how to best use them.
So I hear what your saying about being annoyed with pop-ups...but let's imagine a Bubble Guru was set to play when someone clicks on a link for more information.
As long as it was clearly identified to the visitor that a person would respond by clicking this link, then this could be a very powerful tool.
And on the aspect of users faces for Bubble Guru as opposed to a Site Pal cartoon, maybe you should ask a pretty friend to help you out
Also, I didn't mean to trash Site Pal, I just meant chartoon characters don't work for me...but like everyone here, I agree about trying both and seeing which one get's a better response.
My personal choice is to have a Bubble Guru launch on a link...like, "
Hear about our great offers"