The response from the Lady in Vegas is appropriate.

Obviously still use the computer... And many people do both.

We, as a society, have largely self-trained to ignore everything spouted by commercials on TV. However, use of the internet functions more like reading a book (since well, you're mostly reading) and people are more vulnerable to advertising in that medium... For now.

People are adapting to avoid ads on TV, and in the future, they'll adapt to ignore web ads. Also, Adblockers are among the most popular add-ons for web browsers: Adsweep/Adblock was ranked at #4 most popular in 2009 and it's probably that popular or moreso now.

This should be telling advertisers something: people are not interested in being pushed. When a customer wants something, they'll go looking.

Very little return - and more often, net loss - on every advertising dollar spent. Advertising has no chance of getting people to switch brands or products, because we know we are being sold a product, and distrust the obviously self-interested claims of the advertisement.

Advertisement has only two positive effects for the advertiser

- Recognition. This is the biggest thing, it serves as a reminder to the consumer, "Hey we're still here too!" if a business stopped advertising, they would save a hell of a lot of money - and so would their customers frankly, since that's a cost not being passed on - but their recognition would plummet as their competitors crowd into the vacuum left.

- Normalization. If you pummel people with a product in an advertisement enough they come to accept that this is now "normal." This is a big thing with car commercials. Automobile aesthetic is not dictated by consumer desire; rather car advertising shapes consumer's expectations by hammering them with design elements. No, it won't convince us to boy this or that car.. .but we'll start to perceive older models as looking "strange" or "primitive" and will thus be more likely to buy someone's new car. Normalization is also a big thing in political campaign ads, especially when you've got a freak far, far outside the mainstream like, oh say, Mitt Romney. Maybe you won't accept him as being a worthy purchase.. .but you'll accept "awkward detached rich white dude" as a "normal" candidate.