Advertising has also attempted to inform the public of the dangers of such products as beer, tobacco, marijuana, etc., but most people start abusing these substances already knowing their potential threat. Sure, it's nice to know how corrupt tobacco companies are and how they don't mind stepping over the dead to earn their wealth, but for the people whom it concerns the most, they really don't care (maybe in 20 or 30 years they will care when they finally find something worth living for, but right now, most young people just live for the moment).
I can't find any significant influences that advertising has had on society, but what it does is get people to think that name brand products are the best. If there weren't so many chain link restaurants with commercials running around the clock, I might not be so paranoid as to try something from a local family-owned restaurant, but advertising also lets us know which products are dependable. Rarely do companies advertise a product that breaks relatively easily compared to a no name brand product. It's like trying to decide which stereo to buy, one made my Sony, or one made by, uhh, lets say...Fony. Fony will probably have a lower price, but it would quickly deteriote and turn into a pile of dust, which will henceforth be carried off by the wind, while the Sony stands strong, along with a 5 year warranty...