Adds value from the perspective of the seller, sure. If I buy the honey nut cheerios vs. the off brand honey oats, I&#x27;ve received poor value because I&#x27;ve paid more for the same thing. And it&#x27;s only adding value for the seller if they can sell the product for more than they pay in advertising - if this wasn&#x27;t the case, people would not advertise because they would lose money.<p>I&#x27;d also like to suggest that the Soviet &#x27;underconsumption&#x27; you speak of might be better characterized as &#x27;proper consumption&#x27;. It&#x27;s not a mandate that we buy a product just because someone&#x27;s selling it.