Subliminal Advertising :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Subliminal Advertising 1.) On television, a common technique to influence a viewer is to flash messages or images for so little time, that it almost seems like a flicker that really never happened. Ways that this has been used is by flashing images that are pleasing to the eye, like a flashy color, or maybe even a picture with sexual innuendo. The cheapest technique, usually used by people, like car salesmen, is to ask the viewer a string of questions, which we all know will have the answer "yes." By doing this, the commercial gets you ready to agree with any pitch they are trying to make you buy. 2.) A more cunning way to make you buy a product is to brainwash your emotions, questioning yourself, "Would I be a bad person if I do not by this product?" For instance, the people that would like you to donate money to the sick, hungry children is some run-down village. They show you pictures of babies crying, adults with hardly any meat on their bones. The commercial then claims that by your donation, you can save a life, but if you do not, you're letting a life die. This technique is an effective way, but I believe that there are some ethics involved in purposely tampering one's emotions. 3.) A technique usually described as using "buzz words" is found more in print than on television or radio. If we are scrolling through a newspaper and we see an exciting flashy word, our eyes tend to draw towards it. Companies are entirely aware of this, so that’s why they flash words on their ads like, "FREE," "NEW," "HURRY." Something about these words makes us want to see what the fuss is all about, and to read the company's ad. Now when you do read the ad, there will be "buzz words" embedded into the ad that do not even look flashy. It is always words that do not actually have any significant meaning, but they are added in anyways. For example, words like, homemade, improved, 100%, tasty, just to name a few. 4.) Michael Jordan is selling you Gatorade, Jerry Seinfeld is backing up American Express, and Paul Reiser wants you to use AT&T. Why do these famous stars appear on commercials and ads? The purpose is to subliminally give the product traits that it never even deserves, like wealth, fame, and success.