Subliminal Internet Marketing

For some people it's like there's a sudden CLICK in their brains and they figure it right out. For most, however, they only see it when it's pointed out to them or if they suddenly find themselves doing something without exactly knowing why.

Confused yet? I'm talking here about subliminal marketing and advertising. What exactly is subliminal marketing? Quite simply it's the practice of subconsciously sending consumers sales messages in the form of written words, embedded images or sounds. The principle is that if this goes through their unconscious, consumers will be less likely to resist and criticize these messages as they are passed ON undetected or "below the radar".

There are several examples (though some could be classified as urban legends) of this being put into practice. For instance, there was the story of pictures of Coca Cola and popcorn spliced into every 24th frame of movie reels. For those who didn't know, in cinema, at normal speed, a projector shows approximately 24 frames per second.

While the human eye may not capture each and every frame, this visual stimulus is still registered in the human brain. So, movie theatre audiences will not see the additional Coca Cola frame, but THE embedded image, along with the advertiser's message, will still register in their minds.

Other examples of this practice was related to print advertising in magazines. These were liquor ads showing a picture of a glass full of ice cubes and the alcohol being advertised. Apparently, if you looked closely at the ADS, you would be able to see a naked woman's body formed by the strategically-placed ice cubes.

Now, despite the lack of real scientific studies to back up the effects of subliminal advertising and marketing the government decided to ban it just IN case it did. In its place, marketing people have used tools like public relations and product placements to achieve similar results. That is, a company's product and/or sales message will be stuck in the minds of consumers by sending their messages through channels that will encounter the least amount of cognitive resistance.

Think about it for a second. When you hear a story in the news about red wine being good for your health and that you should drink at least one glass a day, who do you think paid to make sure that that message gets repeated in the media? THIS is actually a great way to get your message across. You break through the advertising clutter and your message seems more credible because a "respected" media outlet, or even an expert like a professor or a doctor is saying it to an audience who doesn't know that these sources are spokespeople being paid to communicate a message.

Product placements, when done well, are another great example of a tool that is one step behind the subliminal realm. In some cases, the product even becomes part of pop-culture. Consider the number of products that gained some sort of recognition because it was mentioned humourously in an episode of Seinfeld. Think of the way Junior Mints was seamlessly integrated in the show's script, especially when Kramer says something like: "How could anyone refuse a Junior Mint? It's mint, it's chocolate," to which Jerry replies: "They're very refreshing."

So while subliminal marketing in its pure form is illegal, it still occurs. With the Internet, things like product placements, PR and maybe even embedded messages can be more easily integrated in articles, videos, and BLOG posts. It just goes to show that you never really know when someone is trying to get you to buy something without your knowledge.

Ah the fun you can have with our consumerist culture!