Subliminal messages aim to send an idea into one’s unconscious mind whilst “exciting the senses” (Stefanescu-Mihaila, 2014) to get a person to act in response to that stimulus. Visual and auditory subliminal are two versions of messaging that advertisers can utilize to suggest an idea or product. Subliminal images only appear when one intentionally looks for it. So when one is not focusing on it, it unconsciously influences a person to make a decision.
For example, the Tostitos logo (Luce, n.d.) uses negative space to create an optical illusion that upon further inspection, displays two people eating and sharing chips in it. This suggests to the consumer that a connection to others will be formed if they buy the chips and eat them together, making them more appealing. This can be attributed to iconic memory, where visual sensory is registered. But the fast-decaying store of visual information makes it faulty. So brands aim to get their information to be encoded into the brain through repetition. Repetition can be exemplified by a brands logo or mascot that consistently appears in their advertisements, reminding the consumer of the advertiser.
Auditory subliminal messaging relies on sending an intense sound to a person so they are able to encode it into their short term memory even if they did not knowingly perceive it. This is why brands use jingles and catchphrases in their advertising; it allows for information to be stored in a way that is unique from iconic memory, called auditory memory. This messaging becomes even more efficient when it has an emotional or affect-based appeal, aiming to influence a person’s feelings rather than their thoughts (Fennis et al., 2021). Memory, feelings, and emotions in advertising can generate elevated interest, a definite way to ensure that the consumer becomes a buyer. Novelty, color, illustration, action, humor, an emotional tone, an instinctive response, are defining elements of an efficient advertising message. (Stefanescu-Mihaila, 2014).
Advertisers are also able to influence consumers by disguising their persuasion as entertainment. This is done through two methods: Pavlovian subliminality, in which the information is induced associatively, and Freudian subliminality, where the contents are transformed by dreamwork techniques (Shrum, 2004). This is most commonly found in product placement, where brands pay to put their products in films and other forms of media to influence the audience that is viewing it. In these situations, it becomes difficult to decipher the true intent of the product. Is it a part of a film for entertainment purposes or if it is actually trying to be sold?
These advertisements are most effective when positive emotions are evoked by positive advertisement framing. In a study described in The moderating influence of ad framing for ad–self-congruency effects, participants formed brand evaluations based on ad self-congruency. In other words, ads were ranked based on if the ad’s image matched an individual’s self-concept. If this was true, it typically generated more positive responses to self-congruent ad messages than to self-incongruent messages. In contrast, when negative emotions were brought out by negative ad framing, responses to self-congruent advertisements and self-incongruent messages were not significantly different (Chang, 2005).