A couple weeks ago I got into a nice, heated debate with a friend over how manipulated we are by media - specifically commercials.
My friend’s position was that you’re manipulated only if you’re ‘weak of mind.’ He believes that if you’re aware that someone’s trying to manipulate you with subliminal messages, it doesn’t have any affect on you.
My opinion is quite the opposite. I feel that advertising companies are highly advanced at subtly manipulating us through constant subliminal messaging. Those subliminal messages, then, set us up for being highly suggestive to whatever stimulus is meant to get us to buy. Think about the last time a simple conversation with someone brought up the desire to have a Big Mac.
So this weekend, oddly enough, I StumbledUpon this video. In it, a couple of advertising professionals are ‘hired’ to create an ad for a company’s pilot product. It’s nearly seven minutes long, but you have to watch it to the end to get understand what the film makers were trying to show.
So, what do you think? Are we highly subjective to advertising? To media? To what other sorts of stimuli? Or is this just all psycho-mumbo-jumbo?
Any experiences either way, yourself?
My name is Dawud Miracle and I'm a
46 responses so far ↓
Very interesting, Dawud… and frightening. Do you think there is any way to resist subliminal messages? Or are we all doomed as subjects of mind control?
An interesting question, Dawud, with a yes and no answer. “Subliminal” is the same as “preconscious”, meaning that your brain does not register an incoming stimulus. This is the case when you are in a bit of a mindless state and not fully paying attention. On the other hand, if you know that someone may try to influence your thinking, you can prepare yourself and willfully,i.e. consciously track your perceptions. It takes a lot of energy to do the latter,so that’s why most of us are not hyper-vigilant about messages from ads. Our brains like to “coast” and not use up too much energy whenever possible. My brain is coasting a lot these days!
Blessings, Margaret Wilkinson, HealthWorks Coaching.
I’m certainly influenced by it, so I use the process to my advantage. I browse Flickr a lot for pictures that move me, then my subconscious mind ponders them and comes up with ideas for future posts. I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of homeless dogs and service men in Iraq for The Need to Love at Cheerful Monk. I was already contributing to organizations like The Humane Society of the U. S., Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, etc. but when I got my renewal from Best Friends today I gladly gave a larger contribution than usual. It was good to be able to help. It wasn’t because they were manipulating me, it was because the cause resonates with me, especially after feeding my mind with all of those touching pictures.
Great topic & it has covered several points regarding subliminals. It was fun reading your article. Well, check out http://www.chargedaudio.com they have many great articles and tips to guide you.
I’m not nearly as confident about ignoring subliminal hints as I was before I watched that video…but I do try to counter it as much as possible when making purchasing decisions by comparing technical specifics or ingredients.
I think the reason why I try to avoid it so much is because I get strong buyer’s remorse when I realize I own something I don’t want because of advertising influence. Its not to say it doesn’t still affect me, I just try to be aware of it so I can ignore as best I can (or implement it in my own strategies when applicable…)
Simply awesome. Its almost scary to think about to what extent we are influenced by subliminal messages.
That’s Derren Brown right? He always plays some really interesting tricks with the mind.
I automatically refute everything I see in advertising, so I don’t feel I’m that suggestible. (My brother also runs his own ad agency, so we discuss advertising effectiveness a lot.) I only buy what I feel like.
If you don’t mind my saying so, check out http://www.adsavvy.org/, which was started by some of my Performancing colleagues.
Great video. Hard to argue that subliminal messaging in advertising only works on the “weak minded” especially after watching this.
Well advertising is an art that was turned into a science. What an incredible video. So I assume you showed your friend this video as a reference to win your case? He has to know that we can’t as ways be on the look out subliminal marketing.
Derren Brown is an illusionist. It is a trick. He had cameras in the office while the guys came up with the first design and then managed to exchange the envelopes when he came back in the room. Pretty basic trick realyl.
I totally agree that direct as well as subliminal advertising is extremely effective. And advertizers can be completely ruthless when it comes to selling their product.
It’s really funny you just wrote this article. I was just having an argument with my friends about this. I believe your level of education on certain business aspects such as marketing tactics play a huge role in subliminal messaging.
What an experience! I know that we are constantly being bombarded with subliminal messages in many medias. No matter how much we think that we are masters of our decision making process, the subconscious does work in influencing some of our behaviors. Classic cases of brand loyalty for no logical reason. Similarly, a lot of religious stuff is all about subliminal messages being driven home to keep the flock together. I can elaborate on this, but for the desire not to raise a controversy. A non controversial example is the suicide bomber. The kind of brain washing that he/she goes through is both overt and covert, the latter in many subliminal ways.
Our prejudices, stereotypes etc also are due to a lot of subliminal messages having registered in our psyche.
Dawud–Great post (and video!). I guess we certainly do become what we “think about” (whether consciously or unconciously). Your friend’s comments also remind me of a great mind-opening read: “Mindless Eating” by Brian Wansink.
If the video is really genuine I have to say that it is pretty frightening. We take in so much throughout the day without realising a fraction of it.
Wow - this should how susceptible people are to ads - and think about the mind control during an election!
Gordon Moss
I’ve been a student of psychology for several years… It doesn’t matter how smart a person is; what matters is whether or not they’re smart enough to realize that NO ONE is oblivious to things like unconscious and subliminal advertising, or even to the effects of advertising in general.
that was an amazing video and yes, scary, as well, almost like a science fiction, but it’s actually the world we live in - the minute we get up and brush our teeth with Colgate (or any other toothpaste), drink the branded coffee, we’re bombarded with ads, brand names for the rest of the day.
As someone educated in business, I always fee like I am ‘above’ these types of ploys, but every so often I catch myself in one of ‘those moments’ where you’ve been sucked in….
People view subliminal messaging as either hidden images, or encoded messages in subliminal mp3s. However, yes they can work on a much more subtle level such as just suggesting images on the edge of our focus as the Derren Brown video has shown.
We are all exposed to these messages everyday, some intentionally by advertisers, and some purely by coincidence.
Subliminal messages are real, they do really work, and by targeting ourselves with focused intentional subliminal messages we can ensure we get high quality information sent to our brains for areas that we are interested in pursuing.
that was complete bullshit. totally fake.
i have been in advertising for 15 years.
your friend is right. advertising only works on the weak of mind. fortunately for us, everyone is weak of mind. including your friend. we are all weak. we want what we don’t need. we try to buy our ways out of our insecurities. hurrah!
subliminal messages don’t exist, because they don’t work. sure you can try to stack the deck visually. but that’s not subliminal. that’s conscious.
really amazing! yes it has an affect on all of us, but I don’t think this much.
Wow. I mean…. man…
That is just cool. I think we’re all susceptible to subliminal messaging, if by that you mean taking past experience and putting it to use somehow.
I think subliminals are highly effective, especially when used as a tool in advertising. Otherwise, TV advertisements would not exist in the first place. Ads on TV are so effective that I myself end up changing brands of products because of subliminal messages sent by these ads.
As is see it Ads are good for branding and building labeles. Tv advertisements is very popular but i think its not that muche effective.
Nice video!
greetings
Great video and its a little bit frightening.
Good debate. I would go with your friend. If you don’t have a weak mind, then I think no one can manipulate you.
It works. Thats what the commercial do on tv all day long. We have a subconscious mind and it picks up everything.
Track down Derren Brown’s YouTube and website - a UK stage show who clearly understands the root ideas and is preapred to show them in action
Danny above is right. Derren Brown uses pseudoscience to back up his magic. Instead of pretending he has supernatural powers, like other magicians, he makes you think he just has a great grasp of psychology. It’s just a form of showmanship, and a great idea. Obviously we are susceptible to subliminal messages, but not to the degree shown in the film.
There has never been study that proves subliminal messaging can influence someone to buy something. There have been studies linking subliminal messaging to somewhat influencing actions.
Companies can not make you buy things through subliminal messaging. However, the publics perception of subliminal messaging is generally the opposite. People believe they are very much affected by it, and just don’t know it, which is false.
Subliminal messages only affect those week minded. Just like marketing gimics. How many times have you heard this line “But it was on sale” No, they don’t affect me.
Wow!!! I have always felt like your friend. Now, I am rethinking some of the products I buy and the things that I do. This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.
We are all connected, we influence one another in subtle (as well as not so subtle) ways.
This is not frightening - it is empowering and remins me of our esponsibility to embrace only good and true thoughts/visions…if we are toxic, our interdependence is threatened.
Thank you for sharing this experiement with the online community.
“Ginn”
In Sunny Santa Fe
http://www.pulverpages.com
I studied psychology and am quite sure that submliminal messages in advertising have little effect on people - no matter how “weak-minded” you are. Lots of the early scientific studies into the phenomenon turned out to be really flawed. Don’t worry people!
We bought Johnsonville brats, hotdog buns, and french fries the other day because of a Johnsonville advertisement on late-night TV. Not so subliminal, but it did make us realize we’d not had brats in a while. LOL
If this is true then its really scary to think that you don’t actually make decision for your self i.e. someone else arrange it for you to make that decision.
But the again I saw David Copperfield do this kind of trick in front of live audience.
Are you subliminally trying to make me think?
Good post, I’ve tried making my own subliminal videos with positive affirmations and images. I’m fascinated with the mind and how to influence it. You can Check out one of my vids; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNQy-2uqdN8
Best,
Ryan
I definitely think subliminal is in many advertising media forms, especially TV.
I thought I remember hearing that the people who weren’t open to hypnosis won’t go in the subconcious state. So you sort of have to probably be open to the idea to begin with to be swayed.