[FridgeSeal]

Ah yes the old "akshually advertising does work on you", a similar argument used by the fervently religious in discussions: "You'll see I'm right in the afterlife".

At some point, if one needs to buy toilet paper, one needs to buy something. Just because you ended up buying one doesn't mean that the one you bought was due to advertising. Advertising doesn't become the reason for a purchase over availability, economic value, etc just by virtue of existing.

> 2. That you believe you are resistant to advertising places you in a predictable demographic that, like all demographics, can be successfully targeted without it being spotted as advertising.

Yes, the "I'd like to be left the fuck alone to make my own decisions" category, that advertising, despite it's apparent infinite wisdom still hasn't managed to figure out.

> Did you do an empirical, feature-driven search for all of the products from these brands? Does any brand stand out?

This is not a feature of advertising. This is a feature of product quality/price/feature-set etc. Advertising is independent of this and will happily lie you to in order to make you buy product x instead of y. To suggest that you actually bought product x instead of y is due to the effect of the advertising and not literally any other factor is disingenuous.

> 1. I doubt you have enough self-awareness about your unconscious product reasoning

This is a bit of a broad and unfair statement, it doesn't require too much concerted critical thinking to be aware of the tactics that advertisers use. Even if you're not fully immune from them, being aware of them can significantly reduce their effectiveness and restore a good degree of agency to you.

[isostatic]

Why did you choose brand a over brand b? Price (brand a is cheaper - but is that unit cost, price per sheet, price per use)? Availability (b isn't in the shop)? Ease (b was on the top shelf, a was on the middle)?

I avoid adverts as much as possible, but I'm not naive that they don't have an affect on me, or that I even realise I'm being subjected to adverts. just looking out of the plane window I can see wall to wall Hsbc adverts, they were also on the jetway. HSBC spend a lot of money to say "they aren't going any where", "they're a globally trusted brand", etc.

I don't bank with HSBC, but I don't need to be persuaded by those adverts - if I am asked about a bank, HSBC is one of the first that springs to mind, burnt into my subconscious. That may be worth something in the future. En mass it certainly is.

[FridgeSeal]

Brand B was recycled paper, A is not. Both are available and B is slightly cheaper. B wins. Neither of them advertised to me, the decision was made based on product quality and features, not advertising.

I just got back from an overseas holiday, so I too saw a lot of HSBC ads at airports. But I also actively disregarded them, of someone asked me for a bank, they would not spring to mind. Even moreso because I was reading a thread on Reddit the other day where someone was talking about how HSBC's strategy was to advertise primarily at airports even if they didn't operate in that country because it makes people think they're a global brand (even when and where they're not). So now, if I do think about HSBC the first thing that pops into my head is how their outdoor advertising is built on a lie.