I read a story over the weekend imagining a future where advertising is illegal, and I can’t stop thinking about it - especially in light of our current efforts to understand how companies and countries purchase influence & outcomes.
After reading that first sentence I thought that you would be talking about "The Space Merchants" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants …) or its sequel. Sounds like the book you meant is more subtle, should be an interesting read.