Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let's say you're selling product X at price Y. There are three kinds of people you could reach with advertising: * People who have an unmet need for product X at price Y. * People whose need for product X at price Y is already met, but who can be manipulated into buying from you rather than someone else. * People who don't need product X at price Y, but can be manipulated into needing it. Advertising is only good for…
What does "manipulated into needing" mean, exactly? The human race survived without computers for a couple of million years, so obviously we don't "need" them on an existential level. In your scenario, who gets to decide what other people "need"?
It means a huge half a trillion dollar industry is leveraging psychology, black marketing, covert paid endorsements, and tons of other things besides, plus plain old brainwashing from constant exposure, to make you crave and buy stuff in general, and stuff that they sell in particular.
Just read what kind of research and effort goes in things like the design of a supermarket, self placement, and tons of other things, with measured changes to consumer behavior -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The idea that we're some perfectly rational, non manipulated, thinking machines that can decide for ourselves is laughably unscientific.