Oh no... Duffy gets on her bike in Diet Coke spot

I imagine that you would argue that it is actually "real value" to the consumer who has bought something that they consider "desirable", despite the fact that the desirability is entirely concocted.

Surely real value would be the individual's satisfaction with the lighter Bowery rather than the heavy Unipack? (As otherwise it's just a characteristic of an unknown object.) What happens if Mr non-LFGSS is more satisfied with his Unipack than Mr new-member-LFGSS who now wants a custom build and can't stand the sight of his Bowery? What happens when the Unipack becomes at the forefront of "cool" because it falls apart so easily and goes against the opinion of the masses? Where's the true value now? Nothing exists until it is experienced or linked to our reality and that very process removes the concept of true value IMO.

Yes, people are quite capable of ascribing false value to things. But that doesn't justify cynically ascribing false value to things for your own benefit.

But let's pretend you're right, the world is full of solipsists and public opinion is the only true currency. In that case, this thread stands as testament to the perceived value of advertisers and advertising... :p