Subliminal is something existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness; being or employing stimuli insufficiently intense to produce a discrete sensation but often being or designed to be intense enough to influence the mental processes or the behavior of the individual.
It is true that there are situations where it can be advantageous for advertisers to communicate outside the full glare of attention. They would grasp these advertising opportunities. It helps obviate the triggering of conscious defences and counter-arguing.
Introduced in 1897, the concept became controversial as ''subliminal messages'' in 1957 when marketing practitioners claimed its potential use in persuasion. Public awareness of what we now term ''subliminal advertising'' began with the 1957 publication of Vance Packard's book, The Hidden Persuaders. Although Packard did not use the term ''subliminal advertising,'' he did describe many of the new ''motivational research'' marketing techniques being employed to sell products in the burgeoning post-war American market. At this time, both advertising careers and advertising employment probably received a boost.
The effectiveness of subliminal messaging has been demonstrated to prime individual responses and stimulate mild emotional activity. For example, priming thirsty people with a subliminal word may, for a brief period of time, make a thirst-quenching beverage advertisement more persuasive.
It was James Vicary who coined the term ''subliminal advertising''- or hidden messages embedded in ads. Vicary conducted an experiment in a movie theatre where he flashed messages through the movie which he said persuaded people to buy more Coca-Cola and popcorn. But, later it was discovered that Vicary's claims were false.
Five techniques of subliminal persuasion:
- Customers believe the heavier objects they're holding are more sturdy and substantial - such as a TV remote.
- The more stressed-out we are by the financial crisis and other problems, the more we unconsciously adhere to familiar, comforting rituals.
- Store owners know that playing music that is slow makes shoppers take longer to shop, increasing the chances of them buying something. Music also can direct us to certain products. For example, it can determine what kind of wine we pick up from the shelves.
- A product's country of origin can subliminally influence what we buy. People are more likely to buy a car made in Switzerland than Turkey even if the two models are identical as one associates Switzerland with superb craftsmanship and high standards.
- Women preferred a bottle of diet mayonnaise shaped like the female figure instead of one that had a slender neck that tapered down into a fat bottom. The researchers concluded that the subjects were associating the shape of the bottle with an image of their own bodies.
