Hidden Persuaders

For the past week I’ve been reading a book by Vance Packard titled The Hidden Persuaders which was listed as some recommended reading for my second major project here at LCC. Though written almost 50 years ago, the book provides systematic insight into the way marketing & advertising strategies developed from it’s infancy into the sophisticated tactics it employed at the time of it’s publication. The startling thing is, when you compare it to today’s application of ad campaigns you can see how of the model really hasn’t changed much, if at all, showing how relevant those tactics are even still today!

Focusing primarily on the american advertising industry, it outlines how through the use of focus groups and the hiring of social scientists that advertisements aim to tap into our most subtle desire for something. That’s where it’s “magic” works but capitalizing of of human nature, subversions, guilts and fears. One of chapters titled “The Engineered Yes” talks about how the techniques entered into the realm of politics as far back as the Eisenhower Administration.

A great book from beginning to end, it’s a quick read and reveals a damning insight into the machine that bombards us on a daily basis. Another good reference link is here on the Disinformation website.

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