[goldfeld]

I don't drink soft beverages whenever I can buy/order beer. And whenever I can order several types of beer, I think "what would I like to drink today?", so I don't see the problem. It's actually a pretty fun decision.

"Brand advertising" means making companies far more rich they than needed to be. I'd prefer an economy where companies actually rely on their product being good and people telling each other (see craft beers), and no, I don't think it's healthy for them to grow into mega-corps (which they wouldn't be able to do without ads.)

As for awareness and changing service providers, again, word of mouth and spontaneous sharing of links and stories on the internet.