Have you ever driven by a shop that has red, white and blue flags, balloons, signs and banners scattered all over the place, all appealing to your patriotism and hoping you'll come in and buy something? Or do you think they're using the image of our country in a grossly perverted way, and avoid them like the plague?
I'm with you there! I hate the HUGE American flags over car dealerships (especially when they're selling foreign cars!). I wonder if there's any market research that it actually helps.