Subliminal messaging

Subliminal messaging is the use of stimuli to influence a person into believing something without the person being aware.

Subliminal messaging can be done through:


Visual

This is done by showing pictures that will change the viewers attitude. Humans respond to different colours, words, geometric shapes in different ways and it raises a feeling or emotion.
Different cultures however have different meanings for colours and shapes, for example white would never be used in a Chinese wedding as it symbolizes death. Some shapes, can raise sexual arousal while others are intrusive.

Auditory

Auditory stimuli is not as affective as visual but it too can have an effect. Self help audio recordings for example all use a similar tone of voice which is meant to persuade the listener into thinking positively.

Other studies have been done on baroque music and other forms of classical music that evokes the memory and allows the listener to remember an advert better.

A third, less commonly used subliminal message is smells. In America, they sell a can of "freshly baked cookies" smell which real estate agents can spray around a house to induce a feeling in the buyers that a family could live there, bake cookies and be happy.

Subliminal messaging is illegal, however regular advertising which could use similar visual or auditory stimuli are legal. You cannot have a coke bottle pop up for a millisecond on a screen but you can show how drinking coke could change your life because you are aware you're watching an advert.

KFC for example hid a message in one of their adverts and whoever cracked it, won a free gift certificate. This got people to watch the KFC advert much more often than they actually would, instilling their brand in our heads.

Corona beer has never traditionally used lime in its beer until a bartender came up with the trick. Now we associate lime and beer with Corona, every time.