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I try and avoid buying products i see from advertisements... Word of mouth works well with me, if someone I know really well tells me that something is just SO AWESOME and great, or this restaraunt they went to was great, then yeah I'm going to check it out, if it's just a passerby, or someone I barely know (or some of the marketing majors I know) I'm generally pretty skeptical, and hesitant to believe them.
Now, packaging... I'm a sucker for packaging, if I don't already have a specific product I like, and I need or feel like buying a certain thing, then yes, I might stick with what might be in my head already from an advertisement, or I might grab what just happens to catch my eye the best on the rack (assuming there isn't a much cheaper alternative sitting right next to it).
As far as the clothes adverts in mags, I avoid those, I might glance and see what looks good style wise, but by the time I go clothes shopping that completely leaves me, and I just take a friend with me to say "yah, or nah", course clothes shopping is a rather rare occasion for me.
as far as expensive things like electronics... research, research, research... when it comes to stereo equipment, I have my own little niche home stereo and car stereo stores in town I appreciate, honest, they'll give me good opinions on the equipment they have, and always work deals for me (it's down to I only talk to certain reps, if they aren't at the store, I look around and leave). As far as computers/parts, again, research, research, research, go to a LAN party, and hit up some friends, and the latest stuff they're using, and see what the frame rates they're getting with for example Doom 3.
But yeah, word of mouth is what I tend to listen to.
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