Subliminal advertising is a relatively old concept in marketing but one that we should be aware of. This is because it is actually a very powerful form of promotion and has taken on new dimensions lately. It makes use of visitors and potential buyers who are already in your store or at your website and encourages them to buy more.
What exactly is subliminal advertising? It is a secretive form of marketing to people who may not be aware they are being marketed too. The definition is using sights and sounds to get through to people without them realizing it. Some people would call this a subtle form of brain washing. This is because it touches our subconscious mind and encourages us to buy without the rational conscious brain saying "hold on do you really need this?"
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There are several ways that this form of advertising is utilized
Music: this has been going on in stores for years. Upbeat music is always played in the malls to put potential customers in a good mood and encourage them to buy. Happy people are much more inclined to buy than sad ones.
Restaurants usually play restful or popular music that makes the customer feel relaxed and comfortable in their establishments.
Visual: website presentation, or store presentations are both prime examples. If the website or store looks good you will definitely stay and will be in a good mood to buy. Video clips of popular foods will help you to buy more of these items when you shop in the store. You can see this being done in Walmart.
Speech: videos on websites are becoming very popular and grab the reader as soon as they come to the website. They appeal to their eyes and ears and subtly say "buy, buy, buy," even if your pocket book and rationale sense say "hold on." Online salespeople will have special scripts to upsell to the customer and make them buy more, even if they really do not want to do so.
So called doctors and medical professionals recommend all sorts of pharmaceuticals and related products. The fact that a doctor recommends this makes a good impression on the potential customer and lulls them into thinking that the medicine or related product will really help them. Many companies are hiring agents to drop a good word about their products so that a positive viral campaign is set up. False voice messages are sent to people's voice mail boxes on their phones to give false positive feedback about a product.
The written word: many products come with celebrity endorsements and "as seen on TV" recommendations. This has the same effect as a doctor recommendation.
The Internet: the unseen spy in the shape of cookies dropped on your browser by companies will reveal information about you that can be used as advertising.
More devious ways of subliminal marketing are fake tourists in the streets displaying fancy photography or phone gear. At sports events there will always be some product seeders looking for players to display the company's products. Fake news reports of politics, miracle products and drugs are seeping into our news programs. Even the government has jumped on the bandwagon and is selling the policies they wish voters to support through news programs.
As you can see there are many ways that companies use for subliminal advertising. If we do not want to get trapped into buying things we do not want, we should be aware of this.
Advertising - What Is Subliminal Advertising?
Cathy Q is the publisher of the free newsletter A-Y-B. Full of tips and information on how to start and grow your business. To sign up for a free subscription visit our blog at http://a-y-b.com