For as much stuff that doesn't work in this arena, there is a ton
of stuff that is remarkably effective.
When carefully constructed you can, generally speaking:
Evoke specific emotions (love, anger, arousal, fear)
Cause brand choice (both a specific brand or one over another)
Control specific short-term behavior (singular actions)
There's other stuff of course, as well. But those are cool enough.
But, be aware, the idea of "You will like Kevin," doesn't work.
Sentences don't work.
Phrases don't work.
So without dumbing down, what else works?
Context dependent cueing works brilliantly.
Priming behavior for verbal or written messages to be acted on.
Setting flags (psychological term: anchors) for nonconscious
comparison.
Tons of stuff does work....just not quite as simple and easy as
we'd like.
KEYPOINT: But, the key of apparent intention is crucial. If
someone "feels" manipulated, they will not respond positively.
They will buy from a competitor, ignore the message and do
the opposite!
In a minute I'll give you a few more examples
of how you can use subliminal visual information.
There are a few things that people wanted to master at Influence
Boot Camp coming up in March. That's where I got the idea for
this article.
I asked 22 people and their top responses in six categories were:
Subliminal Influence
Persuasion Online including effective copy and imagery
Face to Face Persuasion including body language
Specific applications of non-copy related influence to build
business offline and online
Influence Techniques that can be used in different settings and
knowing how to "pick" the right one.
Seduction
Reading People
Subliminal persuasion simply fascinates just about everyone.
Subliminal Terms Defined
And, you want to know what a couple of terms mean before I
share any more about them.
* Subliminal: That which is not "seen" in consciousness by the
vast majority of people who will be aware of some image
nonconsciously. "Below the threshold of consciousness" for most.
* Supralminal or Pre-Subliminal: That which is easily seen in
the environment but of which one is not aware of.
The impact of these "things" are almost identical.
So imagine that you see me typing away on my Dell (I gave my
Apple to my son...it's great for games, doesn't interact well with
the evil Microsoft).
As soon as I tell you I'm typing on a Dell and that I really like it
and think YOU would like it, too...well...the effectiveness went from
8 to 2 in one second.
By the way, indicating Microsoft is "evil" increases their liking....
all that for next month....
So here I am typing on my Dell. You see it on video. I talk to you
about ANYTHING other than my Dell.
Result: Your probability of purchase increases, your liking increases.
And if I don't overexpose the brand to you, and, you are not FEELING
that you are being manipulated, then Dell (and the future buyer), have
won.
I now have to get Dell to cut me a check....I'll be right back.
OK, now these cues are all supraliminal or pre-subliminal.
But, be aware, the idea of "You will like Kevin," doesn't work.
