Earlier quoted context omitted.
I work at an advertiser. Most so called "viral" ads we've researched involve significant levels of paid impressions before they got to a "viralable" level. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Also it's significantly difficult to make a highly entertaining ad as well as convey your product benefits/superiority at the same time - strains creativity of the ad agencies though some are adapting faster to the online…
Who would have thought that actually adding value to peoples lives is hard. Much harder than paying someone to force others to see something.
Say you're made a new flavor of ketchup. Your product tests show people love it much better than anything else in the market. Arguably you are adding value to those people's lives with it.
Now it won't sell at all and recoup your investment and arguably actually add value to people's lives unless they know about it and try it - hence advertising.