AOL's "discuss" campaign

I've recently seen some ads in the UK from AOL which contrast the Orwellian 'bad' and altruistic 'good' sides to the world's wholesale adoption of the internet. I found the ads quite thought provoking (now there's a change!) but wonder at their motives. There is no 'selling'; just a noble call to discussion. Are the ads merely intended to gather content for future advertising campaigns that actually sell something? It might just be an altogether cheap way to conduct market research!