Do you know that some audio visuals have hidden pictures, and/or sound? And that these "subliminal messages" may actually persuade the viewer to act in a particular manner ? Today, subliminal advertising techniques have infiltrated every known area of marketing, resulting in brand psychoanalysis.

Subconscious
Subliminal is synonymous with the subconscious. Subliminal messages are hidden messages which are stored in our subconscious mind without our conscious participation.

Now, although we are not 'aware' of our subconscious mind, the reverse is far from true ! Our subconscious remembers every detail of what we experience. Regardless of what our eye has perceived or our ear has heard, it stores information into our memory. Here are some typical phenomena which are a result of our subconscious mind:
• Sudden urges
• Unexplainable thoughts & actions
• Sudden nostalgia - memories of days gone by
• Burst of a new idea
• Slip of tongue

Subliminal Message
In order for a message to be subliminal or "hidden", it must not be conscious registered, i.e. noticeable to the human eye or ear. A subliminal message may be :
• a small image or audio hidden inside a larger image or recording
• a few hidden lines that play or pictures that flash inside a television commercial
• some hidden words inside songs that you can hear when played backwards.

Subliminal messages first originated with "invisible commercials", or commercials which were invisible to the human eye (being flashed for less than 1/1000th of a second). And progressed to sublime forms where a product portrayal subconsciously suggested a part of the female (or male) anatomy. Today's advertising has taken subliminal ads to new levels. A watch ad has nothing to do with watches. And ads for shoes rarely mention shoes. (In contrast with the earlier association of a brand with a product, today's brand itself is the product.)

Today's advertising is more about feelings & images - and less about product features & benefits. This form of subliminal advertising creates subconscious desires which fuels product purchase.

Evolution
It was in the 1950s that ads started becoming clever & covert. By applying Freud's psychoanalysis, they attacked the subconscious to persuade the consumer.

In 1957 James Vicary created an "invisible commercial" for a movie theatre, which contained several brief messages that were hidden inside of one main message. Messages like "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry? Eat Popcorn" that would flash on the screen every 5 seconds, each lasting for less than a thousandth of a second. The split second display ensured that these messages did not interrupt viewers. However, the messages were registered at a subconscious level : this was evident because many people who watched these commercials had an unexplainable urge to eat popcorn and drink coca-cola. Resulting in sizeable increase in popcorn and soft drink sales !

Naturally, television & radio ads soon followed suit. And then came research, which showed that this type of subliminal message lasted for a limited period of time and had less effect on people who had no interest in the subject.

Around this time, visuals in commercials also started becoming subconsciously suggestive. A wine glass in a liquor ad became a subtle reminder of a part of the female anatomy! Even as motorcycle depictions were suggestive of the male anatomy. 'Subliminal persuasion' became the name of the game.

Five decades later, the "pre-subliminal ad era" seems unreal - as an age when products were sold for features, benefits rather than for enhancing user's image !

Celebrity endorsement, product placement & TV serials centred on a brand are a few examples of modern-day subliminal advertising.

Paid Content
Along with subliminal advertising techniques, comes its omnipresence. Ads are getting more & more difficult to distinguish from the background. It is clear that media is searching for new ways to make money. And one of the most serious examples of present-day subliminal advertising is "paid content" or advertising disguised as editorial / news.