The trick is, edgy hackers already have VPNs. If you're on Kiwifarms, you don't need NordVPN to sell you on the importance of internet privacy, and you probably don't trust the big VPN names like Nord because they don't have the features you want and are probably infiltrated by the CIA.
Advertisements don't give a shit about people who already buy their product, just as much as they don't give a shit about people who never will. They only care about the specific type of retard who makes major financial decisions after watching a fucking commercial. So, yes, the target audience for these sponsorships is the sort of person who goes "I wanna watch Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix, but they aren't available in my country! How else am I supposed to consoom?"