[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Because it was Parade magazine.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Referring to the mayonnaise example at the end of that article... subconsciously, as a woman trying to lose weight, a person might buy the thinner jar, simply thinking, on some level, “I’d like to look like that.” That’s a subconscious preference, or... subconscious reasoning? ... not realizing that you’re making a decision based on what you’re feeling.

In the case of the remote, many people tend to think that electronics should be heavy. Up until recently, that’s always been the case. Now, electronics are becoming smaller, and lightweight, and incredibly advanced, but some people tend to revert to their old ways and think that the heavier remote will work better. That’s simply thinking logically. There’s nothing hidden here, except for the extra material in the heavy remote.

Besides, advertising is generally seen in a visual sense, not a physical one. The shape of a jar or the weight of a remote isn’t really an advertisement.

Then there’s the perfume example... it kind of reminds me of a Seinfeld episode, when Jerry and George are in the pharmacy, and they’re looking at medicine. The two of them have a different kind and they’re reading the ‘ingredients’ back and forth to each other. Eventually, Jerry asks George where they make his. He says Jersey, and Jerry responds, holding up his medicine box, “White Plains.” George gives him a look like there’s no question as to which one he should get, and he takes the box out of Jerry’s hand.

It’s like choosing a car. If someone tells me that there are two cars that are exactly the same, one is made in America, the other is made in Japan, I’ll probably buy the one from Japan. That’s based on the fact that Japan generally makes higher quality cars. Plus, the American-made cars that I’ve had in the past haven’t lasted as long as the one Japanese car that I’ve owned.

Again, the example that I gave concerning Rockband was subliminal advertising.