Nexus - 0207 - New Times Magazine-pages

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This article was extracted from an article which appeared during the mid-seventies in a magazine called "Heart". There was no author indicated, and the magazine is now believed to be out of print. touch, smell) - that is not perceived consciously or liminally, but rather subconsciously or subliminally. What we deal with consciously we are likely to critique, analyze, or consider in a rational or logical manner. What bypasses the conscious mind on its way into the subconscious we are much more likely to deal with in an uncritical fashion - and thereby carry out the instructions or suggestions subliminally communicated to us. Dr. N.F. Dixon, a British psychologist, author of Subliminal Perception (which according to one ad agency president is their “operational bible"), wrote: "It may be impossible to resist instructions which are not consciously experienced. There would seem to be a close parallel between these phenomena and those associated with, on the one hand, posthypnotic suggestion and, on the other, neurotic compulsive responses." Practically applied, subliminal communication can be very useful to anyone who wanted to secretly manipulate the behavior of another. When it's used to seduce you into unconsciously buying, consuming, subscribing, attending, voting for the “right” candidate, remaining loyal to your brand of cigarettes or true to your favorite Scotch whiskey, it’s called subliminal seduction.” Dr. Wilson Bryan Key, a psychologist with extensive experience in communications and advertising research, has published three popular books on subliminal manipulation: Subliminal Seduction, Media Sexploitation, and The Clam-Plate Orgy. In most instances, the manufacturers are totally unaware that subliminal advertising is being used to sell their products. In fact, many employed by the advertising industry are similarly unaware. But while the ad industry claims they are guiltless - whiter than white - it appears thal some in their ranks are blacker than black. Judge for yourself. Study the Kanén advert for a moment (next page)... According to Dr. Key's students, this ad appeared in so-called men's magazines, such as Penthouse and Playboy. How does it make you fecl? Using a one way mirror, Dr. Key found that as people thumbed through a magazine containing this ad, each potential customer was exposed to it for about one to two seconds. About one in ten stopped to read the copy. After all, how much is there to see? In the lower left-hand quadrant of this ad, we see an uptumed left hand holding a bottle of Kanén cologne. In the upper right, we see the right hand holding a knife. This is an awfully nice picture of a hand holding a bottle of cologne. But how will that alone sell the product? Particularly since most of the millions of readers who saw it will not recall it, nor will they give it more than a glance. Yet the agency who handled the account, in all likelihood, tested its reliability and determined its sales capability before inserting it in high- circulation men's magazines that cost a great deal of money for advertising enare Selling products to the subconscious mind. Warning: You may be subconsciously manipulated by the advertisements reproduced in this article! least two subliminal messages in this article. In fact, it happened so fast that these subliminal messages could have entered your subconscious mind, even if you had merely glanced at them while idly thumbing through this magazine. They may have already secretly determined your future behaviour. This is not the first time that you have unconsciously perceived subliminal messages that could change your behaviour. It's happened to you before - thousands, perhaps millions of times. You are not alone. It has happened to virtually everyone who watches television, reads a popular magazine, takes in a movie, goes shopping in a major department or food store, sees a political poster or brochure, listens to the radio, rock'n'roll, or background music, handles money or sees a billboard. In short, virtually everyone in the westem world who isn't the most dedicated of hermits - is inundated by subliminals. Few have even the slightest inkling that someone is communicating directly with the unconscious part of their being or shy it's being done, much less what they can do to protect themselves against it - or even why they should protect themselves. iT n less time than it took you to read these words, you perceived at space. According to Dr. Key, at the time this ad appeared, it would have cost about $55,000 to run it one time in a magazine like Playboy. The artwork alone probably cost $5,000 to $8,000-. Why would the admen be so confident that a photo of a hand holding a bottle would work? No promises, no coupons to send in, no suggestion of the immediate materialisation of beautiful women (if only you use it!), Alcohol product manufacturers plow about 6% of their gross receipts back into advertising. Based on industry norms, this ad would have had to sell about |.2 million dollars worth of cologne just to break even. And everyone knows that the nice people who make Kanén cologne are in business to Subliminal communication consists of presenting a stimulus - usually auditory or visual, but they can be gustatory, tactile, or olfactory (laste, NEXUSe11 APRIL-MAY 1992