1 of 10

by Alan Fernald

• Writing:
• Rating:

• A
• A
• A

The human mind is a miraculous thing! Information bombards us daily from each of our five senses. Our brain processes all this information through a subconscious filtering system named the "Reticular Activating System" (RAS).

Even though scientists and doctors are still unsure of how this part of the brain performs its functions, salespersons and marketing specialist have known for decades how to use it to increase their sales. They call this marketing method "subliminal advertising". To understand how this marketing strategy works, you must understand how your brain processes incoming information.

As described in "The Role of the Brain", the RAS:
"alerts the brain to incoming information from the senses, and from the centers of thought, memory and feeling. More than that, it adjudicates the relative importance of that information. . . In a way the RAS is like a vigilant secretary, sorting out the trivia from the incoming messages."(1)

In the plainest of English, the RAS filters out information deemed unimportant, while forwarding on to our conscious memory information that we consider important. However, the information that has been filtered out is not discarded; rather, it is stored in our subconscious memory.

Police departments often use hypnotism to help witnesses access these subconscious memories. Hypnotism is a technique used to enable us access to our subconscious memories. This permits us to recall the details of events that our RAS had previously filtered out.

Subliminal advertising is a method used to take advantage of how our brain processes information. This includes the filtered information stored in our subconscious memory. Subliminal ads work because even without remembering the details of an advertisement, our subconscious retains the information etched deep into our brain.

One example of subliminal advertising is the product placement ad. This advertising method inserts products into different media such as movies, video games, and TV programs! By having the stars of the show drinking a particular brand of soda, or using a specific type of computer, your subconscious is associating those brands with that movie star. The next time you watch a movie, pay attention and you will easily see various brand-name products.

After the show, you will probably not consciously remember what the star was drinking (well, at least not before you read this). However, your subconscious does. The next time you are thirsty, your subconscious memory will connect the star of the show you just watched with the type of drink they had. This connection will give you a slight preference towards that particular brand of soda. Does it make you buy that soda? No, it does not; but it can tempt you to purchase that brand rather than a competitors.

Earlier methods of subliminal advertising were brief "flashes" of written messages during a television show or a movie. These mediums work by showing our eyes a series of images so quickly that despite being "still" images, the rapid flashing of the images make them appear to be moving. TVs and movies normally show us about 30 different images each second.

Imagine if we replaced a single image each second. RAS would filter this single image out because it is obviously unimportant information. However, the subconscious portion of our memory stores this message. Scientific experiments have proven that subliminal messages will not change your mind; however, those same experiments have shown that subliminal messages can affect how you make a decision. Note: This method is illegal in many countries.

Subliminal advertising works because the brain of an adult human retains memories of every event an individual has experienced throughout their life. While most of these memories are stored in the subconscious portions of our mind, they still have a significant impact on the decisions we make.

Though subliminal advertising can not be used to 'make' someone buy a particular product, by placing those memories into our subconscious, advertisers choose these ads in the hope that they can "help" us to subconsciously prefer their products over their competitors products the next time we have to decide.

References:

(1) Bailey, Ronald H., et al. - The Role of the Brain, Time-Life Books 1975
(2) http://www.howourbrainswork.com/
(3) http://www.knowthis.com/tutorials/principles-of-mark eting

Learn more about this author, Alan Fernald.

Add your voice
Know something about How do subliminal ads work?? We want to hear your view. Write now!