Most criticism of advertising is written in ignorance of what actually happens inside these agencies.

It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.

Buy me and you will overcome the anxieties I have just reminded you of

Advertising generally works to reinforce consumer trends rather than to initiate them.

Chances are that neither the client nor the agency will ever know very much about what role the ad has played in sales or profits of the client, either short-term or long-term.

It should be apparent that the belief in objectivity in journalism, as in other professions, is not just a claim about what kind of knowledge is reliable. It is also a moral philosophy, a declaration of what kind of thinking one should engage in, in making moral decisions. It is, moreover, a political commitment, for it provides a guide to what groups one should acknowledge as relevant audiences for judging one's own thoughts and acts.

If there are signs that Americans bow to the gods of advertising, there are equally indications that people find the gods ridiculous. It is part of the popular culture that advertisements are silly.