Why does advertising win quarters while innovation wins decades?

Advertising buys attention today, while innovation builds value rivals cannot copy tomorrow. I lived both sides. I founded and sold 5 martech companies, 3 to Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP, while ad-dependent brands faded. My rule is sharp. Spend on advertising to amplify something real. Spend it to hide a stale product, and you buy a faster route to irrelevance.