> Effective advertising targets people who are likely to want the product or service already. The whole point of advertising is getting conversions: convincing

> Effective advertising targets people who are likely to want the product or service already. The whole point of advertising is getting conversions: convincing people who previously weren't going to buy your product that they should buy your product. Some of the people that are converted just didn't know about your product, some had forgotten about it, some thought a competitors product was better, etc. So there is a sense in which the vast majority of people you convert aren't people who specifically "don't want" your product. And you're definitely right that this isn't Inception-tier infiltration of the mind. But at the same time, the conversions you are trying to get are the people who don't want your product yet, but just need a tiny push to want it.