Pff, that just depends on the definition of 'ad', but in my experience your definition is not in line with how most people interpret and use the word 'ad'. When I tell my friend how great these sneakers are for wearing, are those words an 'ad' for Nike? No, generally only those messages for which the beneficiary of commercial success of the product under consideration has paid for are defined as 'ads'.
ad·ver·tise·ment/ˈadvərˌtīzmənt/
Noun:
A notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy.
An 'ad' doesn't have to be paid for. And connotations are not definitions.
My definition of an ad: Ad is a piece of information trying to convince people to spend money. Ads usually do this by lying (sometimes implicitly, subconsciously - i.e. beautiful women in deodorant ads create an association in the viewers mind between beauty and this particular deodorant).
A piece of information whose primary purpose is to inform, is not an ad (even though it looks like it). This includes, for example, most concert "ads" - a notification about an upcoming Parov Stelar concert informs his fans (= people who already want to go to such a concert) where they can fullfil their desires. It does not create new desire, e.g. by lying that there will be metal music played as well.
