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Vance Packard

Vance Oakley Packard

The Hidden Persuaders Paperback – July 1, 2007

by Vance Packard (Author), Mark Crispin Miller (Introduction)

176 ratings

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"One of the best books around for demystifying the deliberately mysterious arts of advertising."--Salon

"Fascinating, entertaining and thought-stimulating."--The New York Times Book Review

"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New Yorker

Originally published in 1957 and now back in print to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, The Hidden Persuaders is Vance Packard’s pioneering and prescient work revealing how advertisers use psychological methods to tap into our unconscious desires in order to "persuade" us to buy the products they are selling.

A classic examination of how our thoughts and feelings are manipulated by business, media and politicians, The Hidden Persuaders was the first book to expose the hidden world of “motivation research,” the psychological technique that advertisers use to probe our minds in order to control our actions as consumers. Through analysis of products, political campaigns and television programs of the 1950s, Packard shows how the insidious manipulation practices that have come to dominate today’s corporate-driven world began. Featuring an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, The Hidden Persuaders has sold over one million copies, and forever changed the way we look at the world of advertising.

Vance Packard (1914-1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and best-selling author. Among his other books were The Status Seekers, which described American social stratification and behavior, The Waste Makers, which criticizes planned obsolescence, and The Naked Society, about the threats to privacy posed by new technologies.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vance Packard (1914 -1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and best-selling author. Among his books were the million-selling Hidden Persuaders, The Status Seekers, which described American social stratification and behavior, The Waste Makers, which criticizes planned obsolescence, and The Naked Society, about the threats to privacy posed by new technologies. Mark Crispin Miller is the author of the best-selling books Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheney's New World Order, The Bush Dyslexicon, and Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too. An expert in propaganda and media, he teaches at New York University.

Product details

Publisher : Ig Publishing; Reissue Ed edition (July 1, 2007)
Language : English
Paperback : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 097884310X
ISBN-13 : 978-0978843106
Item Weight : 7.9 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #137,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #84 in Propaganda & Political Psychology
- #88 in TV History & Criticism
- #273 in Marketing & Consumer Behavior

Customer Reviews:
176 ratings

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3 star		6%
2 star		2%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Paul

Bernays and his minions were demons. If the American ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

Bernays and his minions were demons. If the American people only knew the extent of their machinations. Sadly the majority are too involved with gladiator sports, porn and fighting over a particular political party to have a clue.

20 people found this helpful

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GeoUtah

Brilliant!

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2019

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This is a seminal work, marking the 1950's transition from extolling product features to utilizing motivational research to sell products. It is salient today. Well researched and beautifully written, it should be required reading for every advertising, consumer research and marketing professional.

6 people found this helpful

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W. Black

Interesting basics of subliminal advertising - and the way human minds work

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2021

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A luggage company made a great TV ad back in the 50s, dropping their suitcase from an airplane to show it would survive a crash, and their sales crashed. Research revealed people were angry that they'd die in a crash but their luggage wouldn't, so they avoided that product. A soap company tested the same laundry soap in three boxes. Consumers reported that the soap in yellow boxes cleaned really well, but was harsh and rough on delicate clothes. Soap in the blue box didn't ruin delicate things, but left clothes dingy and not completely clean. Soap in yellow and blue boxes was just right. Lots of examples like this in the book.

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Frank H.

A bit dated but still interesting

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018

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I wanted to reread this book that made a big impression on me as a 13 year old in 1960. It is dated but it shows the base of all the "Data Farming" that is now omnipresent in our present World.

2 people found this helpful

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Sandra Stevens

Good quality for the money

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2017

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Oldie but goodie - seems even more apropos in today's market. Good quality used book for the money.

5 people found this helpful

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John Bruce Boyce

The Art of Spin

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015

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A great book about the artful tools and manipulations used by Madison Avenue to sell products. The techniques can also be used in other areas too, such as politics. It is a good text for anyone who wants to know just how intrusive spin is in our society and how to avoid it. It is also good for anyone who wants to be a master of it.

10 people found this helpful

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Thankful Reader

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2017

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A must read at the age of creative marketing.

2 people found this helpful

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gen

WOW! Very enduring

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017

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Sill a masterpiece! Probably why it's still used in many advertising and marketing classes.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

markr

a different time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2016

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Reading this some 60 years after it was written provides a fascinating insight into society, particularly American society, at that time. Smoking was openly promoted despite the health scare as filters were believed to prevent harm. Women stayed at home, men were the breadwinners, and the problem of society was how to keep the economy growing. The answer - more sophisticated advertising to encourage people to buy stuff they didn't really need. This was a time when the average American man had fewer than 2 pairs of shoes, and when fewer than 10 million women worked. The housewife, concerned with the home and her husband and children only, had more time on her hands due to freezers washing machines and the like. But how to make people want more, to keep the wheels of manufacturing turning?

Ah, make people dissatisfied with what they have - and how to do that was through researching motivation. The author was rather appalled by all this change, and by the idea that people might be encouraged to buy what they din't actually need. And yet today we all are doing that whenever can- fashions, variety, new technologies - ever changing mobile phones, and improving TV pictures, drive us on and on to earn and to spend. And more people live longer more fun lives as a result, without half of the population of the developed world being subservient to the other half. I quite like all that, and am off to buy another book i don't need now...great fun reading this though

9 people found this helpful

Bob Barr

Essential Reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2013

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It is staggering that a book published in 1957 should remain so relevant, vibrant and important over 5 decades later. This is the story of how the consumer society was created by motivating the public to desire, consume and replace what they probably don't need and didn't know that they wanted. All the techniques described continue to be used to manipulate the public and drive an economy based on consumption, built in obsolescence and fad.

This should be essential reading for all young people in secondary school. However, unfortunately, the power of the persuaders is so great and our will, mine included, so weak that even knowing we are being manipulated for other's profit we continue to fall for it over and over again.

8 people found this helpful

Mr. C. Owers

Great book but poorly executed by igpublishing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2018

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Interesting read but my goodness, the publishing is terrible by igpublishing. Never before have I seen so many misprints, typos and poor punctuation in a book! Cheaply produced to make a quick buck on the back of an influential author!

2 people found this helpful

Bill White

As totally relevant now as it was when it was written.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

A must read if you want the world you see to be reality.
Engaging and fluent. Very easy to read and under stand. Leaving the question of if it was like that then, what in gods name is it like now? Part of the answer to that is a lot less easy to see which is a good reason to read this book and not something that appears more up to date.

3 people found this helpful

Dampflok

A 1950s book that is still as applicable now as it was then.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book was mine back in the '60s and then I lost it. I was delighted to be able to re-read this masterpiece on how the American public is manipulated, and cheated, by commercial interestes. What amazed me was the fact that it is just applicable today as it was back in the 50s, when it was writen.

One person found this helpful

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