"Consumerism- Persuasion, Society, Brand and Culture"
Richard Miles
Sigmund Freud (1856- 1939)
- New Theory of Human Nature- PSYCHOANALYSIS
- Hidden primitive sexual forces and animal instincts that need controlling
- Repressed Hidden Desires that can lead to chaos
- Analysis in The Unconscious (1915) and The Interpreting of Dreams (1899) books
- Instinctual and Desire- based
Freud's Model of Personality Structure
- 3 Levels of Desire:
- Conscious- Contact with Outside World (Ego)
- PreConscious- Beneath the surface of Awareness (Superego)
- Unconscious- Below the Surface (The ID)
Civilisation and its Discontents (1930) Book
- Fundamental tension between civilisation and the individual
- Human desire is incompatible of being alongside a society/ community
- Society imposes systems to keep law and order
- Humanity will always be unhappy and dis-satisfied
- "The Pleasure Principle"
- Concept- if desires are fulfilled in a socially acceptable way, we are docile, happy and content
- World War 1
- Testament to Freud- not surprised by this reaction as it is a reaction to being discontent
- Release of desire on a grand scale
Edward Berneys (1891-1995)
- Nephew of Freud
- Press Agent, employed by Public Informations in World War 1
- Set up "The Council of Public Relations" - The birth of PR
- Employed Freud's ideals to the Marketing of Business
- Any business can succeed if you can relate the desire of the product to the instinctual desires of human nature
- eg. Easter Day Parade
- Taboo for women to smoke- stunt of glamorous women smoking photographed. Newspapers
were told the women were Suffragettes and it was a Political Protest- "The Torches of Freedom"
- Cigarettes became symbols of Status, Independence, Freedom and Sex Appeal
- Product Placement, Celebrity Endorsement and The Use of Pseudo- Scientific Reports, 1924-
Products were given Gravity and Glamour through system of Mass and Cross Marketing based on
the belief of satisfying the people's desires
Henry Ford (1863- 1947) - FORDISM
- Ability to produce Things rapidly
- Transposing Taylorism to Car Factories
- Moving Assembly Lines Increased Productivity- Reduced Manufacture time from 12.5hrs to 1.5hrs
- Requires Large Investment but Profits and thus Wages increased
Emergence of the Brand
- Lots of produces being mass produced, yours needs to stand out
- Distinguishable Personalisation of Brands and UPS- marketed to seem Special
- You can be successful at marketing if you fulfil the People's needs
- "Aunt Jemima's Pancake Flour"
- Housewives felt that they were cheating
- Changing recipe satisfied desire to provide and cook for the Family
- "Oldsmobile" (1909)
- Owning a car is linked to male desire of power, control and women
- "Cadillac" (1919)
- Symbolic Power and Status Symbol for Affluence and Success
- CULTURE SHIFTS FROM BUYING FOR NEED TO BUYING FOR WANT
"The Hidden Persuaders" Book by Vance Packard
- Marketing Hidden Needs which creates the Illusion of Happiness:
- Selling Emotional Security
- Selling Reassurance of Worth
- Selling Ego- Gratification
- Selling Creative Outlets
- Selling Love Objects
- Selling Sense of Power
- Selling a Sense of Roots
- Selling Immortality
- 'A New Elite is Needed to manage the Bewildered herd"
- Spreading the idea of PR to Political/ Government Policy- POLITICAL STRATEGY
- 'Manufacturing Consent'- managing society through this system of consumerism
- The more Commodities, the Happier
Russian Revolution (1917)
- People overthrowing the Government in a Communist Revolution
"Black Tuesday" (24th Oct 1929)
- The booming profit under capitalist regime came crashing down
- Loss of money and jobs
- Beginning of "The Great Depression" and mass unemployment
Roosevelt and the 'New Deal" (1933-36)
- Idea of introducing systems of Welfare, Benefits and Wages
- Scheme of Job Creation
- Governmental control of wealth creation
- Unpopular for Big Business- Government would limit their Profit Margins
"The World's Fair" (1939-1940)
- Giant Exhibition of Propaganda
- 'The Futurama'- Giant model of the World if Faith was put into Business
- Depiction of what the world could be like if you continue to spend
- 'Democracity'- Individual Freedom alongside big Business
Conclusion:
- What extend do Governments carry out our Policies
- Society is based on the Illusion of Freedom based on Consumption
- Consumerism is an ideological project
- We believe that, through Consumption, our Desires can be met
- The Consumer Self
- The Legacy of Berneys/ PR can be felt in all aspects of the 21st Century
- The conflicts between Alternative Models of Social Organisation continues to this day
- To what extent are our lives 'Free' under the Western Communist System?
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