Subliminal messages are messages geared to impact the viewer's subconscious without registering in the conscious mind. Subliminal messaging does work and has many applications within the field of marketing, but it won't make someone buy something he would not have bought otherwise. It can, however, promote an emotional response that may make a marketing message more memorable.
- "Subliminal" is a term used to describe anything that is below the detection level of conscious perception and can take the form of words, images or music. The Republican campaign in the 2000 U.S. presidential election gained note for its use of subliminal messaging in which the term "RATS" was flashed across the screen just after an image of Democratic candidate Al Gore. Subliminal messaging was vigorously questioned when the concept was first talked about in 1957 and several countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, banned its use. In 1962, the old studies were revealed to have been falsified and the use of subliminal messaging has been common, at least to a degree, ever since.
Many advertisements are believed to contain hidden images that invoke certain emotions and associations. For example, the Coke can shown on many advertisements is thought by some to include obscured images of a naked woman in the melting ice on the can. Another exam ple is the use of phallic and sexual symbolism in cigarette and alcohol advertisements, designed to provoke the idea that cigarette or alcohol use is sexy. It also creates excitement about the product, even if the product itself has nothing to do with sex. One example of this is the use of phallic symbols in a Disney movie advertisement, found in the source below.
A 2009 study completed by the University College of London found that subliminal messages are most effective when displayed for 33 milliseconds and that negative messages are more useful (77 percent effective) than positive messages (59 percent effective). This means that an advertisement that says, "Kill the use of fur." would likely be more powerful than one saying "Don't wear fur." This finding can be applied easily to most marketing campaigns.
A similar technique, called "priming," has been used in marketing for ages. Priming is the pairing of a message with images and colors that invoke a positive response. For example, a brand image paired with happy music, bright colors, and pleasant images will provoke a positive emotional response from the viewer, so when he sees the product in the store, he remembers the positive emotional response. In a 2005 study, researchers Sid Kouider and Emmanuel Dupoux found that priming does have a significant effect and that effect becomes stronger the more often the message is repeated. Further, the effect is consistent, regardless of a change in the speaker's voice.
While viewer reaction to words may be somewhat different than the reaction to images, the potential benefits of using subliminal messaging are clear and use of the technique requires only careful planning and strategic positioning. Examples, such as the use of the color green to signify eco-friendly, are seen daily. The value of subliminal messaging to a business will vary based on the individual characteristics of the business itself. Attention should be paid to color choices in advertisements and logos, the images associated with a business, and the background upon which a product is displayed.
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