What might happen?

Advertisements have penetrated American life to such an extent that, if upon waking some amazing morning Americans were to find all advertisements gone, the majority of them would be in the most desperate of plights. ...without advertisements, the devil alone knows what might happen!

Life would become incredibly complex. One would have to think for himself at every step.

No, it is much easier with advertisements. Americans don't have to think about anything. The large business houses do the thinking for them.
Ilya Ilf and Eugene Petrov

It goes without saying that this is now true for most of the modern world. This comment was made early in the previous century before advertising had spread in talons over the world outside America.