[slip]

Well, unscrupulous advertising and marketing is. I get the sentiment, because we are flooded with it. But there is honest and respectful advertising too... unfortunately, most companies gravitate towards making a quick buck instead of investing in earning trust.

[magduf]

Exactly. Letting people know you have a product/service which will make their life easier isn't a bad thing, and you have to have some way of communicating that to prospective buyers. The problem is when you start lying about your product, or use psychological tricks to get people to buy something they don't need.

[Nursie]

> you have to have some way of communicating that to prospective buyers.

Only if the prospective buyer is actually interested. This too often gets translated to "I have a right to spam everyone!"

[sli]

It's just easier to trick people and prey on psychological triggers than it is to make totally truthful ads and high quality, reliable products and services.