No.
Marketing is brilliantly designed by corporate think tanks to appeal to their audience. Yes, some of them are very stupid, but they either lack funding or appeal to a stupid audience. While some advertising is pure effrontery, some is pure genius. Take, for instance, Apple Computers. They have changed the way that we think of marketing by using popular music in their popular iTunes commercials. Don't tell me that "Feel Good Inc." did not gain massive amounts of popularity partly because of its being featured in an iTunes commercial.
Consider, also, the new Nikon ads starring Kate Moss. Those are eye-catching and sultry, suggesting that you can be too by owning a Nikon camera. The association of the camera with the model is a powerful sell.
Have you seen the Full Throttle commercial? Or the new beer one about the finger in the beer? Who are those targeting?
How about all of the cool Volkswagen commercials? They exude youthful playfulness and cool. For example, there is the one where the passengers turn on music, and everything goes to the beat. There is the one with the people who move from the apartment to the house.
Coke has long been marketing using cool music as well. The Diet Coke commercial featuring "The Way You Move" by the Bodyrockers definitely sells a lifestyle. And what about the one featuring Fritz and set to "Via Con Me" by Paolo Conte? That cracks me up. There's the one where the people are skating to "Starry Eyed Surprise." I want to be one of those skaters. Coke also appeals to your sense of originality. I love the one where the guys are making the movie and the one where the girl gets the boy haircut and the one where the girl walks down the street handing out Cokes.
And don't forget the Fanta commercials.
Or the M&Ms one with "Such Great Heights" and the one with "Color My World" and the "groovy M&Ms" one.
Go to the links below to see what I mean.
Embrace marketing. It rocks. :-)