Psychologic Effects of Advertising

Advertising agencies make use of their knowledge of psychology to devise campaigns that will appeal to our desires and needs. Vance Packard says this is a large-scale effort "to channel our unthinking habits, our purchasing decisions, and our thought processes by the use of insights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences" (3). Like many critics of this growing trend, Packard finds some of this amusing and some disquieting, and he also notes that there may be even more and more potent manipulative advertising i

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analysts-studied the psychology of those who purchased the sugared products to determine again their reason for doing so in spite of their feelings of guilt. The purpose of this was again to devise a selling strategy. One candy firm came up with the idea that the consumer could be rewarding himself with the purchase and consumption of the sweet, and they played this idea up in their advertising. Sales doubled in test areas (Packard 57-61). It should be apparent that these sales methods were proving effective, and therefore the use of marketing research and psychological profiles increased. The advertisers sought extra psychological values that they could add to their product to make it more appealing, and they studied our subconscious needs, yearnings, and cravings to this end. First, the need was identified and certified to be compelling; then, the motivational people began building the promise of its fulfillment into their sales presentations, even on such unlikely products as air conditioners, cake mixes, and motorboats. Packard describes eight hidden needs in particular, eight needs which these advertisers have used in their campaigns: emotional security, reassurance of worth, ego-gratification, creative outlets, lov
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Approximate Word count = 6315
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page)