First published in 1957, Vance Packard's HIDDEN PERSUADERS has by means of extrapolating the tendencies of the time, the power of "prediction".
Divided into two sections, "Persuading us as consumers" and "persuading us as citizens" Packard makes a direct link between coroprate mentality and its direct encroachment into the political sphere.
He begins ( I cite from my old battered Pelican edition) "...You have little ground for complacency. Manipulation by playing upon the public's subconscious is clearly spreading. Most of the major American enthsiasts of the depth approach to selling products and ideas do business with the British public too and will certainly turn their attention to you, if they havent already..."
"...Persuading us a consumers... now we turn from merchandizing to other and even more challenging fields where persuaders employing the depth approach are starting to take hold. We will explore what the persudaers are trying to do in politics... no longer is the aim just to play on our subconscious to persuade us to buy a refrigerator... the aim is nothing less than to influence the state of our mind and to channel our behaviour as citizens..."

Chilling stuff eh? At least we were warned !