“We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of“ ~ Edward Bernays
Have you ever wondered how different your life would be without advertising? Which clothing brand would you choose, which holiday destination would you pick, which mobile phone model would you buy, what presents would you give to your loved ones at Christmas? How different would your desires and habits be if you weren’t being daily bombarded with endless new information and messages on what you need or needn’t consume?
Growing up in a hyperconsumerist society, hardly anyone can imagine their everyday life without the seemingly harmless attempts of product placement that take place through advertising. Why bother think or decide by yourself when someone else has already done it for you?
The endeavour to relate consumerist decisions and choices with psychology began in the 1920s by Edward Bernays, who claimed that the ignorant, obtuse and prone to manipulation masses- in his words- are led by biological impulses and primordial instincts, which if left unsatisfied may prove to be a danger to society (he was, after all, Feud’s nephew- what did you expect?). He also believed that if someone understood the mechanisms, motivations and function of the human mind, they could easily influence the masses. He specifically referred to that method as “mechanism of consent”.
His vision was an almost Orwellian reality, where the habits and thoughts of the irrational and weak-willed masses are steered by a wily and powerful business elite, that exclusively pursues its own interests.
He is considered to be the founder of the field of Public Relations (PR), a term he introduced to avoid the negative connotations of the term propaganda- a term he did, however, use as title for one of his books.
He noted that the connection between mass-produced goods and unconscious desires can persuade people to buy things they don’t need. By developing innovative promotional methods, like product placement in cinematic movies or launching campaigns, much like the one that led up to women taking up smoking, he prepared the ground for modern marketing.
With the passage of time companies managed to create a new attitude, according to which what’s important is for the masses to buy products they don’t need, but desire (or are made to desire by said companies). Treating people as passive consumers rather than active citizens, marketing impacts the subconscious, creates artificial needs and uses their purchasing power to achieve the maximum amount of profit. Or, as Tyler Durden put it somewhere among Fight Club’s eight rules: “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy sh*t we don’t need”.
Bernays’ philosophy has undoubtedly been a blessing for capitalism, as well as one of the reasons the capitalist system has survived. While we’re too busy deciding what our next purchase is going to be, megacorporations make a profit as they distract us from important sociopolitical issues and draw our attention to their fancy new products…
