Why do people say marketers use psychology to manipualte us I think they use it to help them help us?

Question

They try to figure out what would get us to buy that new car and we need cars to drive so its not like the are trying to get you to buy something that you dont need right? So why is it manipulation?

Answer 1

There is (or should be) a huge difference between that which we need and that which we only want.

Answer 2

Using psychology to figure out what will make their product more desirable than another alternative isn't nearly as manipulative as, for example...

Convincing women that they are aging quickly, that their skin is filled with lines and imperfections, that they aren't thin enough, or whatever else will ignite interest in their product.

Or otherwise using shady science to scare people into purchasing certain products.

Or finding whatever pathetic way possible to infiltrate our walks to work, our inboxes, our websites and computers, our vacations and leisure time...

Not all marketers are bad, but some don't even realize they're feeding a machine of corporate sponsorship that ventures to make every moment of our lives a reception of some sort of reminder of the product they're selling.

Answer 3

The manipulation comes in when they trumpet whatever benefits their product has, while neglecting to mention that their product might be completely inferior to it's competition. Like a car saying it has more horsepower than it's competition. So what? Is it faster? Does it handle better? Is it more reliable? They want you to forget those questions and only focus on the benefits they're presenting to you. 50 years ago, Lysol used to be advertised as the greatest feminine hygiene product on the market. I can't imagine how uncomfortable any woman who tried it must have felt. But I bet they got tens of thousands of women to do so.

Or they try to make you feel good about making poor financial decisions and strapping yourself in debt. Most people buy tons of crap they never needed, and barely wanted, just because they bought into some marketing scheme.

Answer 4

Well..... if they were GIVING AWAY the cars.... then it would be "them helping us." If they are profiting from us, then they are helping themselves by trying to get people to think they need what the marketer is selling.