We are never ever going to change the minds of 17-25 year olds who have been sold anything through the marketing.
To be honest I think the marketing has very little to do with it.
I think it convinces many to go to the shiny integrated schools rather than the local airfield shed but in terms of actually making the decision to embark upon flight training of one sort of another with the aim of becoming a commercial pilot I am convinced that the majority want to become pilots so badly that barring a total lack of resources will find a way to do so almost no matter what they are told for the simple reason that from their perspective you only live once and therefore you have to follow your dream. A lot will have had that dream long before any marketing has had a chance to touch them...I know I did.
You may well roll your eyes at that but from the perspective of a recent university graduate I can tell you that no profession, not one that I know of, inspires anything like the level enthusiasm that flying does. I have yet to hear anyone talk about banking, or the law, or business consulting or whatever modern day well remunerated profession you care to mention like people do about flying.
I have also met many career changers who put their well earned money into paying to pursue what they wanted to. For many of those it made no logic (in a rational sense) to do so other than that they knew they wanted to. None of them expect a 'pot of gold' and indeed neither do the younger wannabees. They just want to do it. Simple as that. Because that is what flying does to people.
Sadly that is what leaves the profession vulnerable to poor Ts&Cs, especially at the bottom of the experience scale, because wannabees are prepared to suffer high levels of pain to get a foot in the door and realise that dream.