How much of what we think we think is really what we think?

Is advertising simply a means of entertainment, or is there something more psychologically sinister at work in the day to day jingles, images, and slogans, that permeate nearly every facet of our lives? 

More than 30 companies spent over 1 Billion on advertising last year.  Proctor and Gamble alone spent over 4 Billion.  Common sense and inductive reasoning confirms that advertising works.  So, who creates all the ads that blur by our Humean ‘bundles of perceptions’? 

It’s slightly more complex than a group of art students with an idea.  Psychologists, Neuroscientists, and lawyers, construct the ads we view and hear daily.  The following is from Nielson Inc.

“When time is money, every second counts. Our brains react to marketing in milliseconds. They’re so in tune with what’s going on around us that the feelings that guide our behavior exist within our subconscious well before we’re even aware of them. Since time is of the essence, it’s important to pinpoint which aspects of your marketing materials are the most provocative. Through our comprehensive, consumer neuroscience research, we do just that.
By studying people at their most fundamental level—by measuring brainwaves—we provide a real-time view of their subconscious reactions. Using proprietary technology that applies neuroscientific techniques to market research, we provide insight into every aspect of your marketing material. We measure real-time responses at both the conscious and subconscious levels, resulting in specific and actionable recommendations that can be implemented immediately.
The value of this research extends across the marketing spectrum—from ads to aisles and from food to finance. Our work for a broad cross-section of Fortune 100 category leaders speaks for itself, demonstrating the value that consumer neuroscience can have for virtually every business.”

How does this type of invasive technology, (if we deem it so), influence how we think and feel? 

This kind of research begs many questions, e.g.,
What precisely is the difference between a ‘food animal’ and an ‘animal’?
Have advertisers systematically disenfranchised the self from the self; have they duped us into consuming subscriptions of artificial and empty designations?

Active thinking is a rigorous process of examination and inquiry into the origins of all things.   Advertisers are betting on us to abandon logic and common sense in favor of passive receptivity.  Are we a nation with schizophrenic tendencies gambling away our free-will, liberty, impulse, and desire, in exchange for stuff?