The secret seducers
The secret seducer is a non-fiction book on the subject of advertising , which the US consumer critic Vance Packard (1914-1996) published in 1957 under the English original title " The Hidden Persuaders ".
content
The subtitle " Reaching for the subconscious in everyone " refers to Packard's main concern, the so-called motivational research. He criticizes consumers being persuaded to make purchase decisions that have nothing to do with their actual needs or the quality of the product on offer.
The book is in two parts. In the first part, entitled “ The consumer wants to be persuaded ”, Packard shows new advertising strategies back then (in the 1950s).
In the second part of his book " The Manipulated Citizen ", Packard points to new methods of political advertising and employee motivation in large corporations.
Packard first brought topic Subliminal advertising into the public consciousness by over by James M. Vicary , owner of the New York advertising agency "Subliminal Projection Co." reported allegedly developed technique of subliminal influence. According to these reports, imperceptible commercials for popcorn in cinemas should have boosted popcorn sales ( Eat-Popcorn-Drink-Cola Study ). The claims soon proved to be made up by Vicary.
effect
The book " The Secret Seducers " was also a bestseller outside of the US and changed the way ordinary consumers view advertising. But since Packard was not a trained sociologist, he was not respected by specialist scientists who criticized his unsystematic way of working.
literature
- Vance Packard: The Secret Seducers. trans. v. Hermann Kusterer. Econ-Verlag, 1958.
- Horst W. Brand: The legend of the secret seducers. Beltz, 1978, ISBN 3-407-54544-4 .
- Horst W. Brand: Subliminal advertising. Nine theses. Central Association of the German Advertising Industry ZAW eV, 1988, ISBN 3-923085-45-1 .
- Stuart Ewen: PR! A Social History of Spin. Basic Books, New York 1996, ISBN 0-465-06179-6 .