To continue a disussion I've been having at the office ..

The goal of advertising is not to be liked, to entertain, or to win advertising awards; it is to sell products!

Hence, the biggest mistake you can ever make as an advertising professional is to judge advertising as laypeople judge it. If you do, you'll end up as an artist or an entertainer - but not as a salesperson. And then your work will be a waste of the client's time and money.