I’m not suggesting that intent collects “the whole amount of decisions we make.” Nor am I suggesting that advertising doesn’t do a good job of helping us know about all kinds of things we might need or want. In fact it can do all the things you say. (Most of it doesn’t, but that’s not the fault of the stuff that does.) I am saying that there are good ways for demand and supply to meet that advertising does not cover, and we’ve barely begun to explore those, especially in areas where people do have clear intentions.

To grok how I do respect advertising that works, read Separating advertising’s wheat and chaff.