I do wonder to what degree the effectiveness of advertising is intentionally exaggerated. Surely the advertisers who depend on the public to think their product

I do wonder to what degree the effectiveness of advertising is intentionally exaggerated. Surely the advertisers who depend on the public to think their product is effective would collectively spend a lot more time and effort on that advertising campaign than any other. That said, I've seen some compelling ads this year - it seemed more a function of correctly guessing my interests and tastes than successfully influencing my behaviour.