The Mind of the Buyer

TH E I N F LUE N CE O F RE P E T I T I O N (^45)
den t i n r ep eti tion, we a re dri ven t o a c on
side ra tio n of th e brai n a n d ne rvo u s system.
In orde r fo r a thi ng to affec t th e min d it m ust
ente r th e p athways to th e brain. Th ese p ath
way s a re som ewh a t resi sta n t to new imp res
si on s, b u t a fte r rep eate d assa ult th ey op en
up a n d p ermi t a cce ss to th e b rain.
An oth e r fo rm of expla na tion i s th e a ssert ion
by som e p sych olo gists tha t m a n i s innat ely
c redulo us, th a t h e i s incline d to acc ep t. a s
true eve ry sta tement h e h ears. In th e cou rse
of exp e rienc e, h oweve r, th e a dul t p erson de
vel o p s i nhibi tions, whic h ma ke him so phisti
cated a n d re sistan t. To ove rcom e thi s re
sistance require s c on side rabl e b atteri n g. To
thi s fa c tor i s due th e effec tiveness of ma ny
sal es-name s, l ike Unee da. Tho ugh th e buye r
may resi st th e rep e ti tion s o f thi s nam e fo r a
tim e, h e even tually c om es to believe th a t h e
doe s nee d a bisc ui t, a n d m ake s th e p u rch a se.
I t i s thi s c oercive p owe r o f repe titi on which
j u stifie s th e so -c all e d di spl ay a dve rti sin g con
stituting so grea t a p art of m ode rn p ublicity.
Ma ny a firm adverti ses o n bill-b oa rds, th ea te r
progra ms, a nd th e like, wh e n i t know s it ca n
no t efiect a n imm edia t e sal e. B u t by keeping
i ts nam e a n d com m odi ty before th e mi n d o f
th e p ublic , i t h op e s to derive a c umul a tive