On a good day, advertisements are as legitimate an artform as anything subsidized. How is a major corporation funding an ad really that different from commissioning a sculpture or a painting?
Take, for example the Philips "Carousel" Ad[1], which was for all intents and purposes a high-budget short film that happened to be paid for by Philips as a way to promote their support of the depicted cinematic aspect ratio.
They aren't all cinematic genius, but it's tremendously disingenuous to write ads off entirely due to some perceived taint associated with selling a product.