Does advertising really work?

Do you mean does it work on me? The answer is usually not consciously, but a lot of advertising is subliminal. I'm probably the least susceptible to ads, and I usually turn them off or skip over them anyway, but the advertisers know we do that, hence they make us watch them on Youtube and such. And online most ads are targeted to what your interests are.
I mean if people were like me ads would not exist in their current form, because they wouldn't work. However most people are gullible sheeple that buy whatever the ad tells them to.

Rarely - and never if it's something like insurance or a pharmaceuticals,(which I don't think should be advertised.) Maybe an OTC health aid - but that's where the rarely comes in.

I never pay attention to pop-up ads and if they have sound I hit mute. I do pay attention to car ads because I'm into that, but it's not like I run out and buy one every other day.

no but if you look at a few items.. the name that pops in your head makes you reach for it.

Not really. And especially not medicine ads once they talk about side effects.

These corporations wouldn't spend MILLIONS of dollars for a 30-second commercial if they didn't at least double their investment.

Personally, I don't buy anything except groceries. I don't know the names of the frozen chili dogs, tortilla chips, pretzels w/ cheese, tortilla soup, pre-made sandwiches.

It's tempting to say no, it doesn't work, but overall, it must, as BillHicksFan mentions, companies wouldn't shell out millions of dollars if it didn't.

The most ads I see are for automobiles and auto insurance. These are highly competitive industries.

Being set in my ways, the most effective ads would be either for some new product that I never heard of, or FOOD. At least once in my life I called Domino's after seeing an ad. I want pizza!

Some say this man was the greatest TV salesman ever, never to be duplicated since in those days there wasn't the viewing choices there are today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAixx8G2wzU

One time there was an ad for one of the hardware stores that featured an item I was already in the process of searching for. The only thing that influenced me was the fact that the item was on sale; I had already made up my mind that I was going to purchase it before I ever saw the commercial.

There have been one or two ads for a food item that made me want to try it. Otherwise no. The food commercials that saturate the airwaves are mostly for garbage places like McDonald's, Domino's "Pizza" or Little Caesars cheese bread masquerading as "pizza." Places that I don't patronize.

Advertising of NEW products makes sense (to get the word out), but for established products (example, Coke and Pepsi) I don't understand their advertising. They've been around since God was a boy, and people already have their preference. What's going to change their minds?