They’re designed to trick you into acting against your best interests. To push you to spend money you don’t have on shit you don’t need to impress people you don’t like, to quote a witty whoever wrote this.
At one end they exist to inform and offer you a service. I've clicked on ads and purchased and have been better off for it. No tricks involved but it did save me 1/2 off the original price I normally purchase from another store.
Who I am impressing with my canned milk buy?
Ads that show a lifestyle that tricks you into believing you can become something you are not is a small segment perhaps larger on social media. I don't see any of that or if I did it doesn't register. But I do see can of milk for sale.
I go through fliers and get coupons. I get email ads on products I purchased for discounts.
Even those store displays with toilet paper are a form of advertising. I don't mind them and often buy a pack if on sale.
Imo it's not that all advertisement is evil, just the ones that stoop to manipulation by taking pages from psychological research, turning our primal instincts against our own self interests to spend more of our limited money on dumb things or vote for a dumb thing to make someone else money.
Unfortunately for the majors in advertisement these days, that's their bread and butter.
