How does advertising manipulate the perspective of consumers and society? Michael Humphries
Large scale efforts are being made, often with impressive success, to channel our unthinkable habits, our purchasing decisions, and our thought processes by the use of insights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences. - Vance Packard
Selling happiness.
‘The stuff in which we work is the fabric of men’s minds.’ - Public relations society of America
Money.
Perception.
In 1979, the psychologist Ulric Neisser identified the role of memory in perception, and he theorised that it imposes an order of knowledge we acquire. Only through memory is it possible to interpret information we receive. Our personal data bank is therefore constantly being expanded through existing information and new experiences.
Are contemporary advertisements manipulating our society?
Are consumers happier?
Are we rising social ladder?
Are we achieving what advertisement promises?
With a tool as great as advertising, should brands take more social thought in the messages they force?
Can advertising successfully sell products, full fill expectations of both brand and consumer, and conclude a positive effect of good to our society?