> I think that's completely false. The price of things goes down with volume, and if no one knows about something its going to be far more expensive than someth

> I think that's completely false. The price of things goes down with volume, and if no one knows about something its going to be far more expensive than something everyone uses. That applies between companies (where you have real competition), but does it apply over a marketplace? And even if over an industry you were able to persuade more people to buy more product, is that necessarily delivering value for the customer? Wouldn't it just be better if they found things by going out and looking for them if or when they need them, and soliciting expert advice? The obvious example is pharmaceuticals, if patients seeing adverts leads to more prescriptions for a particular drug, is that a good thing? If the pharmaceutical industry manages to get people to take more drugs, is that a good thing? The unit price might go down, but that doesn't mean utility for the consumer goes up.