If it didn't work they wouldn't do it (and when it stops working they will find something else). Advertising is pretty insidious. I have been adblocking most things for over a decade now and thought I was mostly saving myself from annoyance and wasted time, but in the last 4-5 years in youtube video ads from creators themselves showed up. I only discovered sponsorblock last year so I've only been using it for around a year and it's interesting to see my own unnoticed positive biases to brands where the advertising was previously sneaking through just melt away. Now when I watch a video that is too new or obscure for someone to have marked the ads with sponsorblock I am back to getting annoyed and wondering why I ever thought positive thoughts about this brand in the first place. If this stuff is having this effect on me (highly disagreeable personality, above average but not genius level intelligence, made a living trading commodities calling bullshit on the concensus opinion) then the rest of the world must be screwed.
I am assuming spending as much as they are on advertising would weaken them to the point that a non advertising competitor would destroy them eventually. I don't see much of that so i assume it works. I also have my own noticed response to advertising to go on.
I don't know if I believe that... I can see companies falling for the politician's fallacy (We must do something -> this is something -> we must do this). They have money to spend to promote their product, advertising is a well known way to spend money to promote a product, therefore they buy advertising.
