Co., for example, offers free computers to schools as a lure for collecting data on young students' web browsing activities - data that is then sold to advertising and marketing firms. At the individual product level, the correlation may not always be apparent. One somewhat humorous example of how advertising creates demand was highlighted in Adbusters magazine. As a joke, a New Zealand graphics designer created a series of billboards with Calvin Klein-esque models and the word Nothing, presumably a brand or product to buy. And I say that without sacrilege or disrespect.
Advertising makes people discontented.
It makes them want things they don't have. Without discontent, there is no progress, no achievement. Ironically, at the turn of the 20th Century, when we have more material possessions than ever, companies are spending record amounts of money to convince us that we need more stuff. One of the many problems with a culture based on relentless advertising and hyperconsumerism is the grim environmental effect. According to the most recent estimate by Mathis Wackernagel, the author of Our Ecological Footprint , if everyone consumed at the level of the average North American, it would take four extra planets to provide the necessary resources to survive.