For a lot of companies, brand advertising seems to be the only thing that works and targeted advertising almost useless. Eg: Companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which get a significant share of their revenues from people who buy the product once or twice a year, rather than "engaged" users who buy lots.
The following is a very interesting read: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cd1722ba-8333-11e5-8e80-1574112844...