How has the effects of consumerism affected design in the early C20th?
! Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), theorised that inside the mind of all human beings we have hidden, suppressed, sexual and aggressive forces. That we aren’t the sophisticated beings which society has depicted and moulded us to behave, as such. But we are in fact irrational, instinct based creatures, acting on our desires like animals, suppressed by society. It wasn’t until Freud’s nephew; Edward Bernays (1891 - 1995) implemented Freud’s psychoanalyst theory into advertising, that we began to use these suppressed instincts and desires within design and advertising to sell more goods. We all have the strong desire for violence or to have sex, but we can't act out on the desires - society imposes systems and laws to keep these at bay, in a harmonious world. Because of which, humanity will always be unhappy, those desires, must be released in some way. There are many ways repressed desires manifest themselves. To spend becomes an outlet to release these repressed desires.
In the early 20th century, Edward Bernays began to tap into these hidden needs which have manifested inside us, these dangerous instinctual forces, the remittance of our animal pasts, repressed by society as they were too dangerous. He did this through marketing. Bernays worked as a press agent in the United States, following the war, Bernays was asked to promote cigarettes to America, he worked with psychoanalyst A.A Brill, who explained to Bernays that cigarettes were ‘a symbol of the penis, and male sexual power’ (Century of the Self, 2002)
The idea of marketing the hidden needs, the sexual desires, the suppressed instincts is evident throughout the early days of consumerism. These theories began to be applied in advertising design, using the release for the desires as the core of their marketing scheme, for example, men often have a desire of sex, something for a large percent of men isn’t readily available. Women featured on billboards and other methods of advertisement often use a look, a look which suggests a sexual nature, a seductive look, tapping into the idea of reaching into the suppressed desires, the need for sex, which can become readily available for me by using a product which a model would be advertising with her seduction. Coward, in The Look, has considered this point. ‘Those women on billboards, though; they look back. Those fantasy woman stare off the walls with a look of urgent availability.” As opposed to women whom you might meet on the street, who are angered by the
gaze of man, and often look away. The women on the billboards and adverts challenge the gaze, they look right at you. They’ve sexually inviting, the difference between reality and conception. They look at you like they want you, when placed with the product, the gentlemen purchasing the product might believe that they will, with use of the product receive looks from other women, similar to the model in the advert. You’ll become a sexual god, with women throwing themselves at you, left and right. Or so the physiological effects of the advert will make it seem.
Any business can succeed if you relate the product to one of the repressed animal instincts, or any of the repressed unconscious instincts, you can make someone desire that product, through an unnecessary need. An example of this would be the 1929 Easter Day Parade, using cigarettes dubbed at the torches of freedom. It was taboo for women to smoke, Bernays was employed by a tobacco company to get women to smoke. Bernays payed a bunch of debtors to parade in New York, and at an organised moment, they all lit up cigarettes, and it was photographed, when it was photographed he fed a story that these women were a group of suffragettes, and this was a political protest about women in society, the cigarettes were dubbed torches of freedom, against the male repression of society. This event affected the Graphic Design and Advertising associated with the event. If you see figure 1, the advert claimed that ‘An Ancient Prejudice Has Been Removed’, the model in the image is female, rather than male, excreting cigarette smoke in a proud manner,almost blissfully as though she’s overcome the suppressed male dominated nature of society, using the torches of freedom. Cigarettes had become a symbol of status, and app leaded as sexy. Coward reinforced this idea in The Look; ‘Instead, advertisements, health and beauty advice, fashion tips are effective precisely because somewhere, perhaps even subconsciously, an anxiety, rather than a pleasurable identification, is awakened’. (Coward, 2000, P37) Believing that using the stimulation of advertisement the idea of psychoanalysis that by smoking the cigarettes seen in the advert one can be overcome by the pleasurable feeling of being sexy, being appealing the opposite sex, men would look at the women who smoked cigarettes in a different light. 'One may remember or forget these messages but briefly one takes them in, and for a moment they stimulate the imagination by way of either memory of expectation.’ (Berger. J, 1972, p129) The expectation that looking more powerful will be perceived as sexy, being able to attract more males, for-filling the unsatisfied sexual desires. Which Berger then goes onto to clarify; ’If you are able to buy this product you will be loveable. If you cannot buy it, you will be less loveable’ (Berger. J, 1972, P144). Klein also remarks on this in her publication ‘No Logo’, “Their parents might have gone bargain basement, but kids, it turned out, were still willing to pay up to fit in. Through this process, peer pressure
emerged as a powerful market force, making the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses consumerism of their suburban parents pale by comparison. As clothing retailer Elise Decoteau said of her teen shoppers, "They run in packs. If you sell to one, you sell to everyone in their class and everyone in their school." (Klein, N (2002) P119). The need to own something, to gain social acceptance, to be seen as sexy. Of course, in support of these statements, there is no need to become ‘sexy’, other than the desire, There was talk at management conventions of "the marketing revolution" and considerable pondering of how best to "stimulate"consumer buying, by creating wants in people that they Still didn’t realize existed. An automaker talked of increasing his car sales by selling to "those who not yet know what they need.” (Packard V. 2007 P43). An example of modern design which uses this method, marketing to the hidden needs would be a Lynx advert, from 2010 (figure 6.) It depicts a model, in a suggestive position, removing a cooked turkey from an oven. The advert implies that by using the pubescent fragrance, typically targeted at young males, usually teenagers, that this fragrance will not only allow you to attract a desirable, sexually attractive women, to do with as you wish, but she would also, perhaps, work for you, cook your meals, look after you, you would become without a care, she would do everything for you, have sex with you, complete your life you need to use Lynx body spray. This is supported by Coward, R. in 'The Look', 'marriage, for instance often operates to secure women's labour and reproductive capacity to the advantage of men.' (Coward, 2000, P35) You would be at an advantage to use the body spray. It would complete you. The model also gazes at you, in a suggestive, sexual manner, marketing to the hidden drive to become sexually desirable. If you’re the worst looking man in the world, this advert might appeal to you, as the model within gazes upon you with sexual desire. The only way to replicate this gaze, if you use the product which is being advertised.
Marlboro, a cigarette company, also uses the products placement in it’s design to relict an idea. Deep inside any male, usually, the urge to be more manly, more sexually desirable. However for most men, they desire something which will make them seem more manly, the alpha male. Strong, powerful, superior. The Marlboro advert, figure 3, the cigarette acts as the a penis extension, almost. The enhancer for one’s manliness. Creating an "overwhelming desire"(Berger. W, 2001, p.263) to become the man who they depict within the image. Berger explains why Marlboro might have used the cigarettes with the overly manly Marlboro Man to increase their publicity and sales; ”publicity is always about the future buyer, it offers him an image of himself made glamorous by the product or opportunity it is trying to sell" (Berger, 1972, p.132) The consumers want to become the man in the image, they want to become handsome, rugid, the essence of man. Particularly effective in the
United States, where the advert is from, due to their American Wild West heritage. Living on the land, riding horses, heading cattle, freedom - the American dream. The cigarette markets this need, by associating itself, through product placement, with the Marlboro Man.
Another example of how consumerism affected design within the early 20th century is product placement. Product placement within advertising is used to associate the product with the image around it. By using the product, you would become relate to the image around it. An example of this is in figure 2. The image depicts an advert for Camel’s cigarettes, featuring a doctor and the caption; ‘More Doctors Smoke Camels than any other cigarette”. The model, portraying a doctor, whom we would typically associate with being rather successful, wealthy, an envious lifestyle. His use of the cigarettes allows use to associate his success with the cigarette. The cigarette, similarly to the torches of freedom, give the audience a false desire. An idea that if they use the cigarettes they will become more enriched, our lives will improve. We will become wealthy and successful, much like the doctor in the Camels advert. Berger said ‘It proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives by buying something more…it will make us in some way richer — even though we will be poorer by having spent our money.’ (Berger. J, 1972, P131). The cigarette acting as a penis extension for a male, they become more desired by using the cigarettes. This technique of product placement is still seen today within design. If you see figure 4. It’s a model leaning on a lamb, it’s actually an advert for M.J.Bale suits. The suit is the main focus of the advert, tailor fitted to the model. The model, as perceived by men is the ideal of what they would want to become, as it was the with figure 4, it’s the ultimate male. The tailored suit suggests a successful lifestyle, perhaps wealthy, as the suit might be expensive. Good looking, appealing to the opposite sex, perhaps. Everything a man would want to be. If you direct your attention to the model’s left wrist, you’ll see a watch. It’s not just any watch, it’s an OMEGA Seamaster. A high value desirable watch, often valued at thousands of pounds. By association to the model, we link the OMEGA with the successful lifestyle. If you own an OMEGA watch, in tandem to the M.J.Bale suit, you are successful, you are the epitome of sexual desire. You’ll be able to get the women you want, you’ll have a vast amount of money. The OMEGA watch is also associated with the James Bond franchise, the model in the image is dressed in a way which you may be reminded of Bond. The British double-o agent, who daily performs death defying stunts, travels globally on missions, has (implied) sexual encounters with multiple women. A character with class, elegance and sophistication. The watch and the suit remind of the familiar attire of the double-o agent.
Williamson supports the long to become something else through the purchase of commodities to transform one’s self; "because the product becomes a commodity, and the commodity becomes an exchange value, it obtains, at first only in the head, a double existence” (Wiliamson, 2002, p11) Williamson could be arguing that it changes one’s mental state, perhaps in this instance adding confidence, equip with an OMEGA and an expensive suit, you would be ready to take on the world, have multiple partners and solve international crimes, while looking fantastic, having more self worth. Kesser comments on this in ‘The High Price of Materlialism’, “Perhaps the most insidious aspect of this modern measure of worth is not simply having enough, but about having more than others so. This is, feeling of personal worth are based on how one’s pile of money and possessions compares with that of others; both those who surround us in real life and those seen only in the pseudo realities of television and movies. In this context, no one can ever have enough, aside from Bill Gates, there are always others who have more”. (Kesser, 2003, P9) Saying that no matter what commodities you save your hard earned money for, there will also be someone else with more, someone else to whom you strive to become, Bond in this case.
! During the wave of consumerism affected design, the use of celebrities to endorse the products became more evident. It’s even used largely today, with the generation of actors and athletes, whom many idolise, and base their entire lives on becoming more like them. An example of this, in the early 20th century would be an advert for Camels cigarettes, featuring the late American actor and sportscaster Bill Stern. A man who’s voice was nationally heard, across America. Who promotes smoking 30 per day, with no affect on his sportscasting voice. He’s putting his name on the product, he’s publicly associating his success with the cigarettes, almost like without them, he wouldn’t be the sportscaster he turned out to be. Stern applied the cigarettes to a real situation, and praises their success. Berger, in Ways of Seeing, pondered on the thought, of how publicity and applying it to a real situation can aid the product’s sales: ‘Publicity is effective precisely because it feeds upon the real. Clothes, food, cars, cosmetics, bathos, sunshine are real things to en enjoyed in themselves. Publicity begins by working on a natural appetite for pleasure’. (Berger. J, 1972, p132) Berger is talking about how things might be enjoyed and become pleasurable due to their association with a public icon, perhaps. The pleasure would come from marketing to the hidden need, the need to improve one’s self, and the cigarettes are the bridge to do so. Coward also comments on how we need this kind of advertising, how the products which enrich our lives, “Advertising in this society builds precisely on the creation of an anxiety to the effect that, unless we measure up, we will not
be loved. We are set to work an increasing number of areas of the body, labouring to perfect and eroticise an ever increasing number of erotogenic zones. Every minute region of the body is now exposed to this scrutiny by the ideal.” (Coward. R, 2000, p38) The idea that without products to improve ourselves, without the image of perfect we strive towards by purchasing the commodities, which supposedly empower or social status or our body image, we will never be loved, we will never be able to measure up to the expectations of society. Barber also comments on this “Marx himself had remarked in the Communist Manifesto of 1848 on the dislodging of old-fashioned industries by the new industries in which “in place of old wants, we find new wants.” Calvin Coolidge had presciently depicted advertising as “the mot hod by which the desire is created for better things” (Barber, B, R. 2008 P42). Using celebrities to endure the commodities of social acceptance, still happened today. An example of which would be the Chanel No. 5 advert, which featured Brad Pitt (see figure 5). Brad Pitt is an American actor, known for his roles in mainstream and cult films, such as Fight Club (1999), Inglorious Basterds (2009) and Moneyball (2011). He’s extremely well known, he’s perceived as good looking, sexy and desirable. In putting his name with them fragrance, Brad Pitt will be associated with Chanel No. 5. It’s almost say ‘I’m Brad Pitt, and all my success fame and physical appearance is attributed to Chanel No. 5, but purchasing Chanel No 5, you can smell like me, and by smelling like me, you are starting to become me, gaining all my success, money and unlimited love and affection from an international selection of women’. Because of the desire to have these traits, to become the best version of yourself, to for fill your hidden, promotive, sexual desire. 'the happiness of being envied is glamour' (Berger, 1972, P132.) Which might suggest that you feel a far superior when you’re being envied due to your success, you will become the best, and everyone will want to be you, you will almost become Brad Pitt, everyone will envy you, if you were to wear Chanel No. 5, as though you were the model you aspired to become.
In conclusion, advertising changed, using the themes and methods of consumerism, applying the methods adopted from Freud by Bernays, and how they run through the century into advertising today. The hidden needs, appealing to hidden, suppressed animal instincts became apparent, marketing to the need to become a superior human being through the promotion of commodities became apparent in design, using examples of what you could be, the doctor for instance. Also using product placement in design and advertisement, adding items to an environment to suggest the said item creates an impact, subtly. And using celebrities, within design, to market the products, by using their social status and they sexual appeal to market products, by indicating that by
purchasing the commodity you would become more like the celebrity, and by doing so, inherit their traits, which would become applicable to your own life, improve your social status. These design methods, originating during the birth of consumerism in the early 20th century, and still seeing the design methods in place today, due to their effectiveness in shifting inventory, regardless of it’s use, function or worth, useless, unnecessary commodities for the masses.
! The Century of The Self, Episode 1, Happiness Machines. 2002. BBC 4, March 17
! Coward, R., 2000. The Look, Basingstoke, Reading Images
! Berger. J. (1972) 'Ways of Seeing' BBC and Penguin Books Ltd, London
! Kasser, T. (2003) ’The High Price of Materialism’, Massachusetts USA, The MIT Press
! Berger, W.B, (2001) ‘Advertising Today’, New York, PHAIDON.
! Klien, N. (2002) ‘No Logo’, USA Picador
! Packard, V. (2007) ‘The Hidden Persuaders’, Canada, Pocket Books
! Barber, B, R. (2008) ’Consumed - How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults & Swallow Citizens Whole’ New York USA, W. W. Norton & Company
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