I feel these practices contribute to the post-truth society where a user looks for a fact and gets a paid-for opinion shoved in the face instead. It should be easy for the user to discern the factual relevance of search query results, and it does not bode well if the provider of the search functionality is in on the deceit.
The only reason that these company mark ads at all are due to consumer protection laws about undisclosed sponsored content.
If stronger consumer protection laws are "totalitarian dictatorship methods", then no, there is no path. If we aren't allowed to have laws and regulation, only unregulated capitalism, by definition capital makes right, and so apple having more money than you means you have no recourse.
Any way to structure incentives (like "we will all agree to only buy from companies that don't act unfairly") is the same as creating an ad-hoc government regulation.
