Commercials are provocative, explicit, intrusive, irritating, or just plain lies.
Americans have long criticized the advertising industry for promoting greed and consumption. What many don't realize is that advertising sells more than merchandise. From preventive health care such as vaccinations and prenatal check-ups to complex and controversial issues such as racial tolerance, mental illness, and AIDS, some of America's greatest challenges are confronted in campaigns developed by The Advertising Council . In 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II, the government established the War Advertising Council. Convinced by these results that advertising could be a powerful tool for public good, the War Advertising Council became The Advertising Council and prepared to take on America's postwar problems.