That’s a pretty broad brush you’re using. Pablo Escobar (remember him?) became one of the world’s richest men from his control of the Medellin (Colombia) cocaine cartel. Big Macs and Coke for a few million dollars? It wouldn’t have been worth his time.
Obviously, some middle infielder who can make a few million bucks from promoting Big Macs isn’t going to be in Pablo Escobar’s league… but I haven’t heard of any who try that route. Yet the demand for cocaine and other drugs is still pretty huge.
And, really, the ads you hate are only marginally effective, anyway. The guys writing ads for Big Macs are generally going after those people who are already in the market for fast foods. That is, they’re targeting their ads for somebody who might otherwise go to Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC, etc. The ads are ineffective on me: I’ve never had a Big Mac, and I can’t imagine that I ever will… though I do love hamburgers. (When I last went to the golden arches for a meal that wasn’t breakfast, I had the Quarter-Pounder without cheese. I’d be happy to promote that, but McD’s doesn’t seem to, for some reason.)