I don't see a point except "everybody is doing it". While I don't agree with the person you are responding to, I don't think this is really evidence to the contrary or says anything much about the value of advertising.

Why do you think only brands with advertising make it on the store shelf?

Or why doesn't one of the marketed brands stop the advertising? If it doesn't affect sales, it's a useless expense, and any profit maximizing entity would cut it.

To me, the obvious answer is that advertising does work. Without it people don't by your product that much, and you get replaced on the store shelves by brands that produce sales.

Also note that the store brands are being advertised when the store markets itself. They're not unadvertised.

Can you name any large company that has gotten to where it is without advertising?

Google won the search engine market because it was objectively better and thus spread through word of mouth. The first time I saw Google run actual ads was when they pushed Chrome hard.

Facebook also spread mostly through word of mouth and only started doing ads when its public image deteriorated.

(Side-note: I'm in Germany, so this is about German ad campaigns. Also I have had adblockers for a long time, so when I say "they run ads", I mostly mean TV, print and billboards.)

You just described two companies that became the ad channels, so they certainly are a bit of an exception. Even Apple, who has the most word-of-mouth viral product line in all history, used advertisements from the beginning.

Tesla technically.

Tesla might not have advertisements on TV or radio, but it is not a coincidence that luxury malls have prime parking dedicated to Tesla chargers, that they have prominent show rooms and that their CEO is always getting in the news.

Not really. There could be multiple possible reasons why everyone is advertising. Everyone buying ads does not necessarily prove that ads work. I personally think they do, but that is not any proof.