then there's Huy Fung foods.. they didn't advertise for shit, made sriracha sauce and sold like crazy because his product wasn't a pile of hot garbage.. he didn't needs to rely on lies (marketing) and advertising (more lies). make something good, and consistent and people will buy it

also don't treat your farmer like an idiot if you wanna stay in business but ya know.. another story

I don’t doubt that in some situations, when everything else is primed - the product is good, the market is there, and awareness is the only thing lacking - advertising can make a difference.

For every anecdote like your friend’s, though, I can produce a hundred where millions just went into a hole for absolutely nothing.

The thing about marketing, and branding is, it's less about selling the product immediately, and more about keeping the brand identity in peoples minds.

There used to be a time in the 1960s when Howard Johnson was one of the most dominant brands of hotels in America. They existed at the height of family road trips. The boomers were anywhere between 5 years old and 20 years old. So mostly at an age when they're kids/teens. So they became the brand of ice cream at the hotels for the kids, good nights rest for the parents. But they never evolved as the boomers grew up, and the family road trip died off. Today, the brand is totally dead. It's the Ask Jeeves of hotel brands.

But now look at Coke. Their ads don't ever entice you to drink coke. They don't really advertise the product. They advertise the brand. You see polar bears telling a short story, in 15 seconds. Followed by the coke logo. You don't get "HEY EVERYBODY!!! DRINK COKE!!! IT'S DELICIOUS!!!"

They don't do that. They don't advertise a product, they advertise firmiliarity with a brand so when you're in a store, and see soft drinks, you recognize the coke logo. Eventually you start seeking it out. And now those ads are no longer about advertising. They're about conditioning. And it works. When's the last time you had Jerrys old time cola? Or RC Cola? Maybe pepsi. But there's a reason "Is Pepsi ok?" Is the meme, and the answer is no.