If useful ads designed to genuinely inform consumers were the norm it'd be one thing, but I don't think that's the case. The norm is deception and manipulation.

The majority of advertising boils down to this fundamental assertion: your life isn't as good as it could be and the solution is to buy <product>. It's plainly manipulative, and the effect this mindset has on society is hard to understate. It fosters feelings of inadequacy and stokes the fire of consumerism that's destroying the environment.