SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING

 

Subliminal Advertising

The Freudian psychoanalytical model assumes that buying motives are subconscious, in that a respect cannot elucidate them when asked an opinion of a brand or a cake mix that requires the addition of an egg. It subconsciously satisfies the need to contribute to the making process although she consciously believes that the only reason is that a fresh egg adds quality.

Subliminal stimulation has become one of the more popular advertising – related topic for students and lay – people. Popularized by Wilson Bryan Key’s book, subliminal seduction (1973) this subject has captured the imagination of people everywhere.

The term “subliminal” means “below the line” or below the threshold of consciousness. The idea is that certain things are heard, seen or felt that never reach our conscious thought process and that those things may still be recorded somewhere in our mind and have an impact on our decisions and behavior. The author argues that advertising professionals use this concept to hide images within advertisements and that these images manipulate our behavior without our even realizing we have seen them.

The term “subliminal perception” is something of misnomer, since perception implies conscious awareness. Psychologists have studied this phenomenon since the late 1800 and originally called it “Subception”. However while this is a real psychological phenomenon all research on this topic indicates that subliminal situation is incapable of affecting our purchasing behavior.

There is no evidence that advertisers embed hidden images in advertisements, and there is ample evidence that such efforts would be a waste of time.