Is Advertising Dishonest?

Steve O'Keefe, dean of online PR, had an interesting reaction to my post on "Schwartz's Law of Advertising."

Steve wrote:

With marketing, I increasingly believe the key is to be genuine; that is, it is more important to tell the truth than to increase sales. If sales happen, that's great, because marketing needs funding. But if sales don't happen, that's okay too -- as long as you told the truth. It is better to be honestly rejected than accepted due to false pretense.

Is strategic advertising--relating your product to the needs of the customer--inherently dishonest? Is it dishonest to position a product or a person as the solution to someone's problem?

Should all advertising be like the old parody ads in Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion? Remember those?

"Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery.... If you can't get it at Ralph's you can probably get along without it!"

Am I just being defensive?

Bob Bly took out after Madison Ave. on his blog. Are direct marketers and online marketers more ethical? Or just more effective?