TECHNIQUES OF PERSUASION

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28559, 12 April 1958, Page 3

TECHNIQUES OF PERSUASION

Ih e Hidden Persuaders. By Vance Packard. Longmans Green. 266 pp. This introduction to the techniques of mass persuasion used in commercial advertising in the United States should cause much interest, some amusement and perhaps even a little concern. According to Mr Packard the modern approach to advertising is one of stealth and depth. In the lore of psychiatry. everyday habits are probed for hidden meanings upon which campaign strategies are based. The technique is known as motivation analysis. It is not unlike the -waging of total war in that no holds are barred. Hidden weaknesses and frailties. infantile 'carryovers and the like are regarded as fair game and are used as steppmg stones to reach the objective of increased sales. Advertising has come a long way since merchants called “what do ye lack” to passers-by. The modern high-powered campaign using every device of modern technology strikes hard and often and in subtle ways on the consciousness of the individual, and the coverage is nationwide. Much illustrative detail is provided by the author, who goes to some length throughout the book to stress the value and the success of motivations analysis in developing a successful sales campaign. There can be no question that the technique and the jargon it has acquired has had remarkable success—at least with the American public. A more discerning group, less moved bv material considerations. might only be amused at some of the antics of the mass persuaders.

These people, who command fantastic salaries as captains of advertising, have done well lor themselves. With their techniques they have created a multimillion dollar industry. It has kept them on top m the highly specialised ana competitive field of advertising. Their product, the jargon of psychiatry has sold well. The success of the techniques, which *haVe even invaded politics with “image building,” raises the Question of the morality of a manipulative attitude towards society. In this connexion Mr W. Howard -Chase, the president of the Public Relations Society ci America, is quoted as saying: “The very presumptuousness of moulding or affecting the human mind through the techniques we use has created a deep sense of uneasiness in our minds.” This may be so. A deeper sense of uneasiness comes from the fact that respected names in the social sciences are aiding the exploitation of the knowledge of the weaknesses in human personality for personal gain. But there can be no cause for real alarm. People have been trying to influence one another in various ways since the dawn of time. Ridicule and laughter are powerful weapons of defence, and was not the phrase “caveat emptor” coined a long time ago?