>If you believe it doesn't, then you should probably tell that to the trillion dollar industry. The advertising industry is profitable because it's an arms rac

>If you believe it doesn't, then you should probably tell that to the trillion dollar industry. The advertising industry is profitable because it's an arms race. Companies have to advertise because their competitors already are doing. If all industries agreed to limit their ad spending, those trillions could become mere billions overnight, and the marginal revenue decreases would be more than offset by the decreased spending. But such coordination is impossible in a competitive economy, because any defector will reap huge rewards.