Mindful Advertising

You have probably heard of the term ¨subliminal advertising¨ but what is it exactly? Subliminal Advertising is the act of sneaking images or messages into product advertisements without the consumer knowing. For example, they make the advertisement really stand out so the consumer will want to buy the product. The first subliminal advertising was in 1957 when James Vicary, now known as the inventor of subliminal advertising, put ¨eat popcorn¨ and ¨drink Coca-Cola¨ to increase people eating popcorn and drinking Coca-Cola. James Vicary put this subliminal advertising in a movie theatre so people would buy more popcorn and Coca-Cola.

The Physiological World (a website) said that subliminal advertising is inaudible to the conscious mind, but audible to the unconscious or deeper mind. BBC News tested if subliminal advertising worked by showing the consumer two clips (one with and one without subliminal advertising) and it showed that when there was subliminal advertising the consumer would be 46% more willing to buy it. This is important because it shows that subliminal isn't a hoax and it does actually work.

So next time you're watching a commercial or see an ad when you're walking down the street, try to pay closer attention to it to see if there's an image or saying that would make you want to buy the product more. Here's how you can look at advertisements more closely to see if the product is something you really want to buy. If the advertisement has a celebrity in it, then it probably just wants you to pay attention to them and not what the actual product is. Subliminal Advertising definitely affects society today in a lot of ways. Advertisers are manipulating us so advertisements are all we see. Just think about how many advertisements you see when you're watching tv. It might not even be a complete commercial, but even just a little pop up at the bottom of your screen. That´s a way advertisers try to catch your attention, you might not even notice it and that's what they're trying to achieve. Even if you don't buy the product they just want you to be attracted to it so you'll tell more people about it, who may end up buying it.