Robert Cialdini did something a bit like this in researching his book “Influence”, and so far as I can tell pretty much everyone agrees it’s a good thing he wrote it.
I suspect attitudes to your doing this would depend on what your publication looked like. You could write
a book called “Secrets of Successful Second-hand Sales”, aimed at used car salespeople, advising them on how to manipulate their customers;
a book called “Secrets of the Sinister Second-hand Sellers”, aimed at used car buyers, advising them on what sort of things they should expect to be done to them and how to see through the bullshit and resist the manipulation;
a book called “A Scientific Study of Second-hand Sales Strategies”, aimed at psychologists and other interested parties, presenting the information neutrally for whatever use anyone wants to make.
(As an unusually moral person you probably wouldn’t actually want to write the first of those books. But some others in a similar situation might.)
My gut reaction to the first would be “ewww”, to the second would be “oh, someone trying to drum up sales by attention-grabbing hype”,and to the third would be “hey, that’s interesting”. Other people’s guts may well differ from mine. Cialdini’s book is mostly the third, with a little touch of the second.
Robert Cialdini did something a bit like this in researching his book “Influence”, and so far as I can tell pretty much everyone agrees it’s a good thing he wrote it.
I suspect attitudes to your doing this would depend on what your publication looked like. You could write
a book called “Secrets of Successful Second-hand Sales”, aimed at used car salespeople, advising them on how to manipulate their customers;
a book called “Secrets of the Sinister Second-hand Sellers”, aimed at used car buyers, advising them on what sort of things they should expect to be done to them and how to see through the bullshit and resist the manipulation;
a book called “A Scientific Study of Second-hand Sales Strategies”, aimed at psychologists and other interested parties, presenting the information neutrally for whatever use anyone wants to make.
(As an unusually moral person you probably wouldn’t actually want to write the first of those books. But some others in a similar situation might.)
My gut reaction to the first would be “ewww”, to the second would be “oh, someone trying to drum up sales by attention-grabbing hype”,and to the third would be “hey, that’s interesting”. Other people’s guts may well differ from mine. Cialdini’s book is mostly the third, with a little touch of the second.
And read by people who want to read the first ;)
And also who want to read the second or the third. But yes, of course, writing for one audience won’t stop others taking advantage.
I estimate that 95% of readers of Cialdini read it for business.