Final answer:
The 1920s marketing technique known as 'Therapeutic Ethos' involved creating social anxieties that could be 'cured' with certain products. This was part of a broader trend to manipulate consumer emotions and associate products with the fulfillment of dreams and social status.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technique of selling commercial products by creating new social anxiety and suggesting a product to cure it was known in the 1920s as Therapeutic Ethos. This method formed part of a larger marketing trend aimed at convincing consumers of the need to purchase the latest goods, fueled by the era's sense of optimism, economic prosperity, and rapid industrial growth. The practice involved drumming up perceived deficiencies or anxieties in the consumer's life that the product could supposedly address or resolve, thus driving the consumption of new products.
During this time, the culture of consumption was strongly influenced by the burgeoning field of marketing, with advertisers becoming skilled at manipulating emotions to drive sales. Associating products with hopes, dreams, and the chance to belong to a desired social stratum was part of product advertising. They promised not just goods but also the acquisition of status, happiness, and fulfillment, suggesting that the product was not merely a commodity but a gateway to a better life.