Are you seriously suggesting that Coca Cola spends a billion dollars a year to reach people who are unfamiliar with their beverage?
I'm not sure what conspiracy you think I'm suggesting. There is nothing particularly hidden about what advertisers do. Go talk to people who have made ads for a living. Or take a media literacy course. Heck, go watch the Superbowl beer commercials and tell us what novel product information is being conveyed there: http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/27/top-10-super-bowl-beer-com...
The beer commercials are actually quite a bad example in this case: Coca Cola certainly don't spend billions a year to reach people unfamiliar with their beverages. Beer companies do.
A major target market for alcohol is those either underage or just starting drinking. Habits and personally preferences are frequently set very early on - Superbowl beer commercials may be designed for press, but a significant bulk of advertising money is spent by beer companies to convince people who have just started drinking that their brand is the right brand.
They're a great example of the low informational content. The point of the commercials isn't to inform people of the existence of Budweiser. As you say, the purpose is to persuade them to drink it.
I'm not sure what conspiracy you think I'm suggesting. There is nothing particularly hidden about what advertisers do. Go talk to people who have made ads for a living. Or take a media literacy course. Heck, go watch the Superbowl beer commercials and tell us what novel product information is being conveyed there: http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/27/top-10-super-bowl-beer-com...