Century of the Self

In the documentary, “Century of the Self,” we take a look at the work of Sigmund Freud and his nephew, Edward Bernays, known at the “Father of Public Relations.” The film explains how both of these men used psychoanalytical ideas to explain and predict human behavior and how Edward Bernays used it to create techniques used in advertising.

I was really fascinated by the work of Bernays. I find it rather surreal to think that, as the movie states, advertising before Bernays seemed to rely entirely on facts and advertisers believed that that alone would sell the product. Edward Bernays borrowed ideas from his uncle and discovered the power of mass consumer persuasion by appealing to unconscious desires and emotions. It was Bernays who ushered in all of these advertising techniques that we still see used today.

I particularly enjoy the story of the “Freedom torches.” One of Bernays’s clients was a cigarette company. The company wanted to figure out a way to break the taboo on women smoking so that they could sell more of their product. Bernays had the idea of having young, influential socialites smoke cigarettes in public where they they would be photographed and call the cigarettes “freedom torches.” Calling the cigarettes “freedom torches” evokes the idea of liberty and patriotism, as well as the idea of gender equality. Also, using popular, young socialites to market your product as something that is fashionable as well as patriotic is a stroke of genius. I’d say that this is akin to a celebrity endorsement.

Bernays used the idea that you bought things not only because you needed them, but because they were an “an expression of your inner self to others.” That idea of selling individuality to the masses is both ridiculous and genius. It appeals to the basic human desire to feel admired, cared for, respected, loved, etc.  This technique works based on the belief that this product will somehow make you more beautiful, powerful, sexually appealing, popular, etc. Many of the techniques he used to sell products to the masses are advertising strategies that we that are so common place now we hardly think of when or where they originated from.

Here is the source to an article that I found on how the work of Edward Bernays has affected American consumerism:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2002/mar/10/medicalscience.highereducation