Best I can tell, advertising is a whale game. Much like how mobile gaming is predicated on a percent or so of users who will sink an ungodly amount of money int

Best I can tell, advertising is a whale game. Much like how mobile gaming is predicated on a percent or so of users who will sink an ungodly amount of money into skinner boxes, I suspect advertising has a very large effect on the habits of a relatively small fraction of the population. So it's quite possible that the average person could say, truthfully, "If I needed something I'd go and buy it", while advertising is still wildly profitable.