Hidden Persuasion - How the big boys manipulate us into buying their over-priced kak

[ChinaCoolStuff]

Hello,

I haven't posted anything in a while. Been preoccupied trying to find a new job in a country where my language skills are well, let's just say, severely challenged. I am however sometimes exercised by the vexing question of just how Gillette et al manage to get people to part with what are, after all, quite substantial sums of their disposable hard-earned income to purchase their over-priced under-par products. I mean, ok, we, I, might not be the brightest spark on the block but I like to think that I'm not totally stupid. If that's true then how come I gave over so much of my cash to these people over the years? How did they manage to do that? This article which I just stumbled on reveals some of the possible hidden persuaders. I thought it made for empowering and interesting reading and so here it is, I hope you enjoy it and get something useful from it: http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=3571

 

[GoldenBacon]

+1

 

[Stubblefield]

Go USA.

(read the article)

 

[memoryleak]

I hear an axe grinding.

 

[Drubbing]

The history of the psychology of mass marketing has been around a long time. Most of that stuff is covered in PR/Marketing 101 cirriculums.

I believe you need both marketing and pyschology majors to get into advertsing these days.

The layman's answer is most people are sheep and if you can afford to saturate them with a message, you'll get a proportion of them to buy.

Politicians have employed the same psychology as well. Try and get a straight answer out of one when they've got a message to sell. Whatever you ask, they'll just sidestep the question and 'stay on message'.

 

[Fairlight]

Let us not forget where the images of "tinfoil hats" and "fear of black helicopters" associated with conspiracy theory "nuts" came from: Mass media. The biased nature of the term "conspiracy theory" is a deliberate attempt by corporate media to discredit those who ask inconvenient questions.

There are crackpot ideas, but there is no such thing as a crackpot question.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Tinfoil hats are much more effective if you attach a grounding strap.

A lot of people overlook this important detail.

 

[Drubbing]

Let us not forget where the images of "tinfoil hats" and "fear of black helicopters" associated with conspiracy theory "nuts" came from: Mass media. The biased nature of the term "conspiracy theory" is a deliberate attempt by corporate media to discredit those who ask inconvenient questions.

There are crackpot ideas, but there is no such thing as a crackpot question.

Not sure if I'm reading your sentiments right, but I don't buy into the idea of a corporate media that actively attempts to subjugate the populus with paranoia and misinformation. That implies a conspiracy theory in itself. Almost every conspiracy theory, by concept, is bogus - always too big to work, devoid of logic, and feeds off the average citizens' lack of understanding of the topic at hand. The 'fake' moon landings is the perfect example of this.

'Conspiracy theory' has become a cliched phrase, no more loaded with bias than the idea that News is Truth. The paranoid world of the conspiracy theory gets ratings and sells magazines, pure and simple. Media couldnt care less what the truth, or conspiracists agenda is, as long as it sells copy.

Media is product, news is a product, information is a product and the stories they weave from information and news are all products. They're selling themselves and some of them like to appeal to the uninformed, disillusioned and paranoid.

TV is a glass teated drug of stupefaction. And the less people think for themselves, the easier it is for their opinion to be fed to them. No matter who provides the message.

 

[HoratioCaine]

TV is a glass teated drug of stupefaction.

But it also brought us Three's Company, Vanilla Ice and Jackass, so it can't be that bad.

 

[DFrancis]

But it also brought us Three's Company, Vanilla Ice and Jackass, so it can't be that bad.

don't forget The A-Team.

 

[HoratioCaine]

don't forget The A-Team.

Totally. That show was single-handedly responsible for teaching me how to make a plan come together. And Hunter...well, Hunter was just cool.

 

[Gustav]

According to some studies, marketing psychology is frighteningly simple. If you tell somebody that a product is good without telling them why, they will not buy it. But if you tell them that the product is good and give an absurd reason for why it is good people are very likely to buy it.

In one study, I remember reading about, students were queueing to make photocopies. When somebody wanted to skip the queue by saying: "will you let me pass?" without giving a reason, the students said: "bugger off", but 80% would let somebody pass the queue if they said: "will you let me pass, I really need to make some copies?"

Thus, when Gillette says: "our product is good because it has 2 further blades that give you a better shave", most people are too lazy to find out if this really is the case and just buy the product.

I will admit that in my gullible teenager years this was exactly how I responded to their new gimmicks.

 

[proxymoron]

I think you're underestimating a couple of things:

(1) The aspirational element of ascendant third world countries. Sounds like you're new in-country, but I'm sure you'll soon sniff the undertone of 'we can afford the first world, therefore we're in the first world' aka the Beijing Olympics. Not that there's anything wrong with that if you can genuinely afford it... and not at the expense of the impoverished western provinces.

(2) Chinese men don't generally have as much facial hair, so the quality of shave really doesn't matter so much over convenience.

 

[proxymoron]

That implies a conspiracy theory in itself. Almost every conspiracy theory, by concept, is bogus - always too big to work, devoid of logic, and feeds off the average citizens' lack of understanding of the topic at hand. The 'fake' moon landings is the perfect example of this.

'Conspiracy theory' has become a cliched phrase, no more loaded with bias than the idea that News is Truth. The paranoid world of the conspiracy theory gets ratings and sells magazines, pure and simple. Media couldnt care less what the truth, or conspiracists agenda is, as long as it sells copy.

Wait, are you saying Capricorn One wasn't a documentary?

 

[Drubbing]

But it also brought us Three's Company, Vanilla Ice and Jackass, so it can't be that bad.

don't forget The A-Team.

I'm not rigid enough to stand corrected on minor points. TV does feature some good quality trash as well.

Wait, are you saying Capricorn One wasn't a documentary?

No. But then you knew that already. But it does illustrate where most conspiracy theorists get their ideas. That, and a good assassination always gets them juiced up.

 

[miamimoe]

+1 on the marketing. Another thing to consider is that during WWI, Gillette got a contract to supply 3.5 million razors to the Army. The name Gillette became engraved in the minds of servicemen of that era, so when they came home, what did they buy? Duh-Gillette. This also happened during WWII with products such as Coca-Cola, Budweiser beer, various cigarette brands, etc.. that were provided to or easily available to servicemen on the front lines.

Another example is pizza. Yes, pizza was in the US before the war, mostly in NYC. After the war, when servicemen came home, they started opening up pizza parlors, and it became a nationwide craze.

Gillette is an iconic name in the world of shaving, and name recognition, coupled with mass marketing., and the lack of many other choices at the usual places where people shop all contribute to their commanding position.