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Marketing works. Marketing people aren't "stupid" and neither are their clients. I am in advertising and marketing of all kinds. If clients didn't KNOW that their advertising worked, then they wouldn't do it. In free publications and on many successful websites, the ads are a large part of the "content" that readers are looking for. Ads can be very useful to people. If you are planning your vacation, you go to the web and make your decision on what motel to stay in by viewing ads and their website (an ad) or online reservations (an ad). The reason people go to travel sites is for the ad content. Then, when you go to your destination, you pick up your free travel guide magazine and you are looking for ads. The first thing people want to know when they get to a business or vacation destination is where to eat. They find out from restaurant ads (= content). Many other companies/products advertise in vacation pubs. because that is when people try new things and do a lot of retail shopping. These are easy to understand and more direct examples. There are all types of ad campaigns. The more general Coke type ones serve to create and reinforce their "brand" identity. Their "brand" is their franchise. To not advertise it would inevitably have it fade away. I could go on, but I won't bore you all.
Marketing is a very sophisticated industry. Just because you see an ad doesn't mean that, as a layman, you are supposed to understand why they are doing it or how it works for them, etc. I see many things in other industries that I don't presume to try to understand.
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