It serves a useful function (apparently... or at least potentially) in signalling the existence of goods and services within a local economy.

The problem is that advertising (and the economy) is dominated by big powerful organizations which owe no loyalty to any local community or economy, and therefore seek advantage through lies and manipulation of the consumer.

Proposed solution : limit the size of organizations which can access advertising media. This would solve all sorts of problems.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}