If there was only one or two of everything, making a choice would be easy. But nearly every market sector is crowded. So by informing consumers as to the benefits of products and services, we can connect with them either on an emotional or a rational level, and make the process of choosing much easier.

Look at it this way: if all shampoos were sold in plain cardboard boxes with dull, chemical sounding names, you’d spend hours trying to make up your mind. You’d eventually give up, go home and just live with dirty hair. Or dandruff.

So what happens?

You give your shampoo an interesting sounding name that hopefully people will remember (there’s one in America called ‘Gee your hair smells terrific’). Then you create packaging to give it standout on the shelves. You might use the design to inform the consumer as to the contents: images of summer fields, flowers, herbs, and natural things.

You might add some factual information as to the chemicals used or what makes the product so efficacious. The consumer can then come in and make a decision. And then with luck, that person will tell a friend (word of mouth) and before long, you’ve got yourself a loyal band of users.

But supposing you want to sell more? You could use mass-market media, like TV, newspapers, and the web to reach a wider target audience. Just to let them know that ‘Gee you hair smells terrific is out there’, it cleans you hair and this month you can get 50p off.

It’s the same whether you’re advertising cars, kitchens, or baked beans. We let people know what’s out there and try to persuade them to buy brand X instead of brand Y.

Is that such a bad thing?

Apparently so. Claire Beale in her recent column in the Independent name-checked a book called Consumer Kids, which refers to marketing as child abuse. It talks about ‘the "grooming" of children by brands, or "child catchers", warning of "cyber predators" "stalking" innocents in pursuit of the £99bn kids' market (up 33 per cent in five years), £12bn of it coming from pocket money.’

Are kids that gullible? If you ever go to a research group, you’ll find children are quite switched on. They know when they’re being sold to. We’re certainly not brainwashing them. But there are those out there who believe it’s the advertisers fault for so many children being overweight.

Could it be something to do with the fact that they do precious little exercise? Or that their parents are too busy or too lazy to make sure they’ve had a proper meal?

Beale goes on to report: ‘The Children's Society wants to ban all advertising aimed at children under 12. And it wants a 9pm watershed imposed on all advertising for booze and unhealthy foods.’

Once again, advertising gets a kicking for selling things like biscuits, chocolate, burgers and Cheese Strings. Food that no one in their right mind would give to a child every meal. They’re occasional treats, like cream cakes and toffee apples.

Advertising and marketing don’t make people fat, drunk or socially dysfunctional.

People do that.

We just tell them what’s out there.

And then they choose.