Influencers are the visible, not hidden, persuaders

Bang in the Middle’s Naresh Gupta explains the rise of participative culture and the influencer movement, before outlining responsible and sound practices that are required of both marketers and influencers.

This article is part of a Spotlight series on how marketers can optimise influencer marketing strategies in India. Read more

In 1957, Vance Packard wrote the book "The Hidden Persuaders", a post-war era critique of advertising industry tactics. It looked at the industry’s use of motivational research and other psychological tactics to induce desire and trials for their products.

He was particularly severe on subliminal messages created by categories like tobacco, alcohol and packaged food brands. The book also examined how politicians use advertising messages to create a mass following and raised issues on...

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