Giving things the 'want factor' is the goal of advertising, but advertising is one form of manipulation most of us have grown immune to. We understand all they want is for us to try/buy their product, so most of us think about the product, the advantages, and make a conscious decision whether to buy it. Or, we make a conscious decision not to make a conscious decision, but to follow our whims and buy it. Either way, we decide. So is advertising really manipulation? I'm sure for a few poor lost souls out there it still is. But the majority of people aren't so easily taken in by it. The goal is too obvious.

Other forms of manipulation don't have so obvious a goal. When someone tells you they like your car, what's their goal? Do you even stop to wonder? Or do you just say thank you? Alot of times they may just mean they like your car, others could be just buttering you up for something. Can't worry about every little comment someone makes now can you? But if the person were to keep saying wonderful things about your car, wouldn't you check to make sure you still had the keys on you?