> The purpose of ads is to inform people of things they wouldn't otherwise know about. I don't see how this squares with things like blatant scare mongering sm

> The purpose of ads is to inform people of things they wouldn't otherwise know about. I don't see how this squares with things like blatant scare mongering smearing in political ads, and things like cowboys riding a truck up Mt. Everest to crack open a beer. Ads can be there just to associate emotional moods and undertones with a product or person, etc., and aren't only about surfacing unknown products.