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subliminal advertising: return of the hidden persuaders by S. Ron Butler (ron@disinfo.com) - April 06, 2001 |
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| 'They' bombard you every day. By reaching deep into your subconscious, 'they' pick at the very underpinnings of any sense of self you may think you have. 'They' are an engaging, subtle, and often clever invasion of your mind, upon which our lifestyle and economy depend. 'They' are corporate propaganda at the most blatant and aggressive level. 'They' are at the bottom of your screen right now, blinking and glowing in a manner which would drive previous generations mad. 'They' are advertisements. The American individual is subject to an average of 1500 advertisements per day, which appeal to us on an unconscious level, encouraging dissatisfaction with ourselves, and creating discontent which demands appeasement through material acquisition. By creating in our minds an ideal of being rich and beautiful, advertising shatters the difference between want and need, teaching us that happiness is a nice wardrobe and a Pepsi. Our perceptions are warped from Cindy Crawford to BMWs to Burger King. These notions are a direct by-product of our advertising infused environment, which would have us believe that happiness can be bought. 'Their' social mantra? Products will fulfil the void in our lives. The invention of dissatisfaction was chronicled by Vance Packard's seminal book 'The Hidden Persuaders' (D. Mackay & Co, 1957), which revealed how advertising agencies propagate fantasy lives, flooding our consciousness with images and symbols that dwarf any other time in history, and has warped our consciousness. Along with several books by Wilson Key, Packard's sociological research is now routinely dismissed as 'Cold War' hysteria by skeptics. However, it is true that techniques developed for 'psychological warfare' (PSYOP) and hypnotherapy are now routinely used to manipulate the buyer's life crises and subjective intentions (notably, Stanford University's 'Values & Life-styles' psychographic profiling tool). The ultimate result of fragmentary 'niche marketing' is summed up in the title of Joseph Turow's controversial book 'Breaking Up America: Advertisers and the New Media World' (University of Chicago Press, 1997). Chronicled in the stunning film 'The Ad and the Ego' (1997), featuring a soundtrack by fringe supergroup 'Negativland' and commentary by several PhDs, Madison Avenue has 'stolen' the psychological models developed by Carl Gustav Jung, Milton Erickson, Abraham Maslow, and B.F. Skinner. Obedience is programmed: most Western socio-political groups and religious denominations pale in comparison to the fierce loyalty Americans have to Coke-a-Cola and various brands of ketchup (more treacherous because this ideology is not recognized as a threat, but is rather an unsavory side-effect of American culture). This loyalty does not stem from any governmental coercion, nor from a political agenda or fear of God, but from the 'Command To Look' (William Mortensen). Although we are intelligent enough to disregard commercials, they have profound effects on our lifestyles and interactions with others. Our rational identities, aspirations, and values are undermined. Hypnotic 'Consensus Trance' (Charles T. Tart) - which drives most individuals to an existence of insecurity and constantly perceived personal shortcomings - becomes the consciousness norm in the 'accelerated extremity' of the post-industrial economy. In 'Lead Us Into Temptation: The Triumph Of American Materialism' (Columbia University Press, 1999), James B. Twitchell suggests advertising is the new neo-religious force binding Americann society together. Other analysts lament America's greedy consumerist values and the corporate monopoly of communications modes through brutal economic dominance. 'They' command history's most subtle and pervasive tool of learning, training, and mass socialization. 'They' have been training generation after generation to be good, consistent, obedient, and hungry consumers. Beware, and think twice the next time you see someone in a bikini, because she will be trying to sell you something! Research by S. Ron Butleressron@ |
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Negativland: Stuff Subliminal Sales, Advertising & Marketing Tactics Subliminal Advertising: Are You A Victim? Advertising Quotes: Evil The Hidden Persuader The Ad And The Ego Subliminal Advertising Effects In Magazine Advertisements Subliminal Advertising The Return Of The Hidden Persuaders Hypnotizing Slackers For Starbucks, And Other Visionary Acts Of Marketing Research Why Is Madison Avenue Gripped By Insanity? Disinformation Dossier On Corporate Religions Disinformation Dossier On Douglas Rushkoff Disinformation Dossier On Memetic Engineering Thought Contagion And Mass Belief Scientific Consensus & Expert Testimony: Lessons From The Judas Priest Trial The Cargo-Cult Science Of Subliminal Persuasion Speed Seduction Sut Jhally V. James Twitchell On Advertising |
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