[wtatum]

I think the article does a good job of establishing that this type of "cultural imprinting" is real, or at least that marketers seek to tap into it. But I don't know that it finishes the job of showing that "emotional inception" is not also something advertisers seek to do. The bedsheets example claims that sheets aren't advertised because they lack conspicuous social consumption. But I see adds for obscure consumption products try to establish an emotional context all the time:

- Pest control services saying "protect what's yours" establishes the idea that your home is a fortress and you are duty bound to exclude all intruders, be they people or ants. - Financial institutions and advisors referencing their hundred year history to establish comfort, confidence, surety. You could claim that these are factual assertions of a superior product but they tend to have too much emotional context for me to think the ads aren't also trying to "incept" you. Otherwise why always use an older, gravely voiced, white, male Sam Waterston type instead of someone else? - Laundry soap wants to be breezy, relaxed, calming. Basically exactly what an overtaxed mother/homemaker wants to experience, and might be missing when in a hurry to get the grocery shopping finished.

The above examples are all common in that they identify some anxiety in the mind of their primary audience and then try to counter program against it. There's a direct association to the product "working" but also a wider association that they're trying to leverage:

- Your house will be pest free (because you are a good protector and provider) - Your financial future will be secure (because you are a prudent and responsible decision maker) - Your laundry will be immaculate (because you are a skilled and confident homemaker).

Maybe this is still tapping into the "how I want to see myself and be seen by others" vibe of "cultural imprinting" but it's definitely at a different layer than "because other people observe me using the product".