This column was written by Professor Byron Sharp for Admap, June 2013.

There’s a view of advertising that consumers often radically revise their preferences after seeing the ad. Perhaps it comes from wishful thinking that the next campaign is going to work a miracle. But does advertising really do this? Often? ‘Of course,’ say some theorists, ‘how else can advertising drive sales – it has to persuade people.’ But does it?

Click to download the full article.