Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, What's Unfair in the Reflections on Advertising?

Abstract

The author responds to Pollay's review of the “conventional wisdom” or “prevailing opinion” about the unintended consequences of advertising. After (re)constructing the implicit train of thought underlying Pollay's reflections, he suggests that the thin strands of the arguments Pollay cites compose only the weakest logical thread. The author finds unfairness in the attacks of critics who would smash the advertising mirror because they do not like what they see in it.