The incentives. Recall that before truth in advertising laws existed snake-oil and magic stones were openly marketed as being working cures for disease. The pur

The incentives. Recall that before truth in advertising laws existed snake-oil and magic stones were openly marketed as being working cures for disease. The pure drive of marketing is profit, not the benefit of the end user. (Ultra-orthodox capitalists will say that you can't have one without the other, of course). There is no handbook of marketing ethics that says things like "don't make people afraid" or "don't sell to people who already spend more than they make" or "don't intrude where you're not wanted." It is an industry bereft of moral compass. Not because the individuals lack a conscience, but because the incentives all point them due profit. Edit: Here's a fun timeline about the history of truth in advertising for the curious https://www.truthinadvertising.org/timeline/ https://www.truthinadvertising.org/timeline/