Packard in “The Hidden Persuaders” (1957) explores the use of consumer motivational research and other psychological techniques (including subliminal tactics) used by advertising agencies to manipulate Americans and induce desire for products.
According to him there are eight subconscious emotional needs:
Emotional security: the suggestion the product improves safety or in some way reduces a threat.
Reassurance of worth: the purchase of a product will improve one’s own value.
Ego gratification: the promise that one will look or feel great post-transaction.
Creative outlets: the ability to somehow customize a product to make it “theirs.”
Selling love objects: they sell things to love (cars, gadget) because both children and adults want both to love and be loved.
Sense of power: the sense of control, sense of ability to choose and perhaps power over others. Big cars, chunky tools, solid houses and old banks all make feel safe and, when people own or use them, powerful.
Sense of roots: the sense of family, nation, team to anchor people and hence to them.
Immortality: the use of age-defying products and spry older people playing and enjoying life. They use young people to help people avoid thinking about death (the biggest fear).
The eight subconscious emotional needs can be apply today at social media
Emotional security: to have a lot of friends on Facebook.
Reassurance of worth: to be on social is like to be the main character.
Ego gratification: to receive like is like to feel important (specially for teenagers).
Creative outlets: to feel a good photograph on Instagram and a creative artisan on Pinterest.
Selling love objects: to be in love with the Social Media, like Narcissus that was in love with the glass and not with himself. Marshall McLuhan describes how technological innovations furnish us with extensions of our own selves, even though we do not realize it. He uses the metaphor of Narcissus who was so numbed by the image of himself reflected on the water that he did not realize that he was looking at himself.
Sense of power: to be able to connect with everybody, specially with famous people and to be able to insult them as well.
Sense of roots: to be able to connect with old friends like classmate from elementary, middle school .
Immortality: to be present even after the death. The Facebook page remains a landmark for people that want celebrate the death person.
