I have always been suspicious of advertising, for a number of reasons.  Can anyone come up with an example of something funded by advertising revenue that has not in some way been corrupted by it?<p>I have often suggested that the financial benefit of advertising seemed unconvincing.  Advertising spending certainly has been shown to increase revenue, but how often does it come to pass that the revenue gain from advertising translates to a sufficient increase in gross-profit to cover the advertising expenditure?<p>Google is a company that is built on data and advertising.   Surely they have the required information and the skills to analyse to give an answer.