> You'd think with all the smart people that have put their minds to ads on the internet, there would be lightning fast, targeted ads that actually worked by now.

It's called Facebook Ads, and Google AdWords. Another name for what you seek is "product placement in movies". Yet another is PR.

For instance, looking at the trailer for the new Transporter, one has to wonder how much Audi paid to have that movie made.

And if you look closely at most journalism on the modern web, it is nothing but a thinly veiled ad for a thing.