You are feeling sleepy....

I have never been able to see nudes in ice cubes. I've tried but have never had the pleasure. Subliminal advertising is curious topic. Most of the people who believe this insidious technique is being practiced on them are the same people who simply don't like advertising. While I agree there is much to dislike, the thought that advertisers can fool you into buying something without knowing where your motivation comes from seems to be an oddly paranoid theory. Unfortunately for advertisers most overt techniques don't work so projecting a logo on the screen for a micro second is hardly likely to have any considerable effect. In fact most ads appear below the threshold of normal awareness - they simply have no impact, often because they are not relevant.

Relevance is, I believe, the most important goal for advertising in the 21st Century. Flashing logos on the screen is an irrelevance and serves no meaningful function. If you can't engage with the brand what is the point of the communication.

My guess is that the idea for including the 'subliminal' message was probably that of a 22 year old who reveres the notion as a form of post-modern irony, the advertising equivalent of reviving big collared, polyester shirts and Starsky cardigans. Amusing but pointless.

The presenter of the MediaWatch show is priceless though. I thought she was a parody character - but apparently not. Very worthy.

Thanks to Fran's Random Thoughts for the link.

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