> Advertising is just companies saying "This is what you can purchase from me - it's awesome - please consider purchasing it".

This is such a naive view of advertising that if you're really this unaware of how manipulative ads are, you can't possibly have defenses against them. You should seriously spend some time looking into the secret magic of dark psychology they use to manipulate people because while knowing about their tactics won't make you immune to them, it really can help to be aware of how they work and to train yourself to recognize when they're being used against you.

Um, off the top of my head:

"You'll be happier if you purchase this thing"

"You're not good enough as you are now, but you will be if you purchase this thing"

"Other people you admire or respect have purchased this thing, and if you do too you'll be more like them"

"Other people will like you more if you purchase this thing"

"You'll be more attractive if you purchase this thing"

"This thing will be worth more in the future so if you purchase this thing it will make you money"

"This is your only chance to purchase this thing, so if you don't it now you'll miss out on this price"

I don't think any of them has to do with how awesome "the thing" itself is. Obviously there's more to, say, an expensive watch, than its ability to tell time

>Advertising is just companies saying "This is what you can purchase from me - it's awesome - please consider purchasing it". I have managed hundreds of millions in ad spend for major brands

Oh, okay. Well if you say so.

I can't remember ever seeing an ad that was just showing off different aspects of the product or service, outside of things like Craigslist.