I heard of an instance where an emperor got caught without his pants, and the media, politicians and the public spent a lot of time discussing the situation as an issue instead of focusing on solving a problem. You knew it was being treated as an issue instead of a problem because it was really noisy and in the end, nothing got solved. An issue seemed to be resolved, but a problem didn't seem to be solved. Having a known problem without a known solution is no cause for blame - it is a call to action, it is a call to work. Having a known problem without actively working on a known solution creates another set of problems entirely.
Advertisers know the value of systematically pointing out problems and recommending solutions.
I'm not a particularly stinky person, but some companies are spending millions to convince me and my colleagues that we're smelly enough to use anti-perspirant. That's one solution to a perceived problem, but I don't buy it. I prefer to eat a healthy diet and bathe regularly. When I casually mentioned to a small group of friends that I don't use anti-perspirant, they edged away from me as a group. I watched as they simultaneously cringed one foot away from me.