Nearly the same thing was said when thousands of young men died on Civil War battlefields as they charged the rifles and canister shot.
Advertising is theft of our attention. Why do so many charge blindly into it, and why is it tax deductible for companies?
Because we are the habits our environment establishes in us. Reason’s got little to do with it. Is it immoral to manipulate people? Yes, especially if you know you are exploiting them, and if you blindly follow a belief (markets), it’s Evil.