are people really getting forearm bruises? if so, have they really just been waiting for a company to invent a bar that's 10mm shorter to solve the problem?

after viewing a bunch of Competitive Cyclist review videos, i've gotten a sense of their sales pitch. they definitely have it refined.
some dude who appears to be a "serious cyclist" shows off some new product and describes it as if it is the greatest advance yet achieved by science. If you don't own it, everyone else will think you're a Fred and you will be uncomfortable and slow. How did we ever ride bikes before this product? Who knows, but thank god __________ invented this one, because now we're set. See how i hold it and its in the shape of my hands? this company just thought of that. amazing!

They also mix in a little anecdotal advertising when the guy says "i use this on my personal bike." They know that anecdotes are powerful sellers even if they are poor predictors of whether something will work for a buyer.

I'm guessing the truth of the matter is that companies want more SKUs to sell, but don't always have NEW products. Such appears to be the case with "compact" handlebars. So let's take a handlebar, make it smaller, refer to the old one as "traditional" and talk about how ergo bars suck and these are truly comfortable. or maybe they're a way to accommodate older riders with poor flexibility who want to flip their stems to look pro.

i don't mean to be overly sarcastic, and i don't have a problem with these products. if they work for people, people should use them.
i just hate being marketed to - you get the sense that the company thinks they're smarter than you. what i'd really like to know is if anyone remembers the advertising when ergo bars first started showing up. were those the marketed as the greatest thing ever?