Sigmund Freud theorised the unconscious mind and how we maintain our pre-civilisation animalistic desires through our Ego and Id. He suggested they were completely incompatible within our civilised society and as a result we are constantly repressing our desires (which can be exploited consequently.) In fact, he suggested that if the unconscious is repressed too much there will be an eruption of violence.
Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays, was a propagandist in WW1 and extrapolated Freud's theories in order to harness people's desires for the selling of ideas and products. He was one of the first people to work in public relations and more or less began the practice.
He created a campaign to sell cigarettes to women in the 20s, when it was originally considered extremely unladylike. On the Easter Day parade he hired actresses to dress glamorously and all ignite a cigarette in unison at the end of the parade. This was captured by the press and it was publicised as a suffragette protest in which they were "lighting torches of freedom." This was extremely successful as it tapped into women's desires and ideals.
Eventually Bernays began to work for politicians with his successful selling skill. Collidge was a presidential candidate who he created a campaign for involving a celebrity playing jazz in the advert. This was again about a certain ideal and an impression of what people aspire to be.
After this companies began giving products names that made them seem like they were from an individual, e.g. 'Hartley's Jam.' This was to create a unique, trustful, desirable identity in a saturated market and it worked well. They also pursued the idea of giving people the chance for 'creativity', for example, Aunt Jemima's pancake mix took the dried egg out of their packets so people would feel involved when they added their own egg. This meant that the product made far more sales, because people were fulfilling their desires for creativity.
In some cases our desire for new products is to change our own identity. Vance Packard wrote the Hidden Persuaders, which outlined the hidden marketing ideas that aline with unconscious desires. E.g. Emotional Security- Selling a freezer by suggesting that it will always allow you to provide for your family, Reassurance of Worth- Instinctually desirable to feel you have a place within a community. Creative Outlet was also one of these and Ego-gratification (allowing you to be who you want to be.)
Walter Lippmann suggested we can apply Bernay's ideas to society in order to control it and to prevent any eruptions that Freud predicted.
However, it became clear that in the '20s capitalism was escalating and circulating at a pace far to rapid, which would eventually lead to the Great Depression. At this stage, Roosevelt came to power, calling to workers that he would put constraints on businesses to regulate the system order and market. Yet, this was unappealing to big businesses who banded together to lobby Roosevelt out of power by creating a campaign for the 'World's Fair' which was a radical advert for consumerism. It presented the future world as a technical age full of products that would solve all your problems (the key to consumerism is to solve people's unconscious desires.) This was called the 'Democracity.'
Finally, after understanding the effect consumerism has on our unconscious, it becomes apparent that we may not be as free as we think.
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