Earlier quoted context omitted.
Advertising in the sense of making an entry in a service registry like the Yellow Pages used to be where the customer can look you up and find you, yes. Forcing news of your existence on people who didn't ask though? Nah. That's just parasitism.
That works if you're advertising something people knew they wanted beforehand. It doesn't work if you're offering something novel. If they're looking up plumbers in the yellow pages, you won't encounter the existence of Drano.
So convincing someone to buy something they don’t want or need. Perhaps you’ve stumbled upon the root problem of our overconsumption.