This argument is trivially dismissed by noting the advertising industry exists. Google thinks annual advertising spend globally is somewhat north of 700 billion

This argument is trivially dismissed by noting the advertising industry exists. Google thinks annual advertising spend globally is somewhat north of 700 billion USD. Assuming marketing isn't literally a cult servicing a pervasive superstition that transcends geopolitical and cultural barriers, this would suggest that humans can in fact be manipulated to ends that aren't necessarily in line with their interests.