Manipulation and advertising
My friend Karl is shopping again. Before that, an advertising popped up in his phone. The advertise was about special t-shirts of the brand Supreme that hide your belly and fit well in your arms and back. “It’s true that my shirts don’t adjust to my physique. I will look so good on these, and they’re from Supreme!’ he exclaims to me in order to justify himself. That advert just created him a necessity he didn’t have before. Karl is the perfect example of an easily manipulated consumer. Advertisers know where to attack to influence people: to their insecurities. A very typical technique is to make an advert focused on a generic insecurity and offering a solution to the same. First, they remember the consumer that he/she has that problem in their life. By talking to people about their personal problemsthey transmit a feeling of closeness, causing viewers to trust in them. Then, they offer a solution to the problem they just created to the viewer. The perfect combo to make people buy their products.
Playing on insecurities is not the only tool that advertising uses to manipulate people. Selling status – not just the product – is another typical technique. Nowadays, many people is worried about the image they show to the world. Brands play on this: they sell “luxury products” so people can fulfil this necessity. The problem of this is that they sell overpriced products just because of the status they make you believe their products show.
In order to avoid these manipulative techniques, I think the solution is to make people understand which are the real intentions. Advertisers aren’t worried about you and your problems; they just want your money. Moreover, people must understand that renowned brand products are, in most cases, more expensive not because the quality of the product, but because of the status they “sell” to you, that is worthless. Once people realise those things, the story may change.