Persuading Subliminally

Have you ever thought about what influences us to choose a specific product or service?  Have you ever tried to find out the reason  behind  your inclination  towards selecting  a particular thing out of many?

We may come up with many answers citing many reasons to choose.

Nowadays, marketing firms are using a technique called SUBLIMINAL PERSUASION (Stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or heard) in advertising and other marketing communications to influence the buying behaviour of the consumers.

Subliminal Persuasion is anything that sends you a message without your Knowledge of It, usually picked up on by your subconscious mind.  People rarely catch them, even when they are right in front of their eyes--more obvious than anything.

Impact

The concept of subliminal persuasion was put to test on 1957 when a market researcher named James Vicary inserted the words "Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" into a movie called PICNIC in 1957.

The words appeared for a single frame, allegedly long enough for the subconscious to pick up, but too short for the viewer to be aware of it. The subliminal ads supposedly created an 18.1% increase in Coke sales and a 57.8% increase in popcorn sales.     This created a havoc in marketing sector and many researches were conducted to find its authenticity.

Though it is a very controversial topic to discuss, but past research and evidence suggests that subliminally created attitudes may shape the formation of beliefs about the attributes of an object. This technique is used for mass or a people with low level of consciousness.

Images containing subliminal messages:

Messages associated with pleasure using letters/words like “s- explosion”

Logo containing subliminal messages:

The FedEx logo with an arrow in its negative space placed between E & x. Even a glance subliminally inspires thought of efficiency and forward motion.

Notice the Smiley using the arrow & the concept of a to z (the range of books / products) that amazon wants to provide you with.

Conclusion

Subliminal perception is a lot about reaching into the deeper canals of your mind subtly rather than creating obvious visuals or sound effects. Sometimes sublime concepts affect you more than that which is in your face all the time. It surely leaves a deeper impact with its conversation value. It’s just the beginning, and we shall see more usage of this, since high decibel marketing is kind of falling out of favour for many reasons.

-Naveen A. Muley

 Student, INLEAD, PGDM - INBM