Posted by mikezillion at March 25th, 2008

Subliminal advertising was a big thing a few decades ago. Then they realized that it didn’t translate into immediate sales, and the trend died out. But marketers these days are looking further down the road than the immediate sale. We’re learning now that brand identification can lead to later sales, or even unconscious actions, if planned carefully.

A new study about the longer-term impact of subliminal exposure to recognizable corporate logos shows that the brand identity does carry a message which affects the viewer’s behavior. In this case, flashing an Apple logo briefly and incidentally while testing an unrelated skill encouraged users to think more creatively in a subsequent test than flashing an IBM logo.

The product placement folks are going to enjoy playing with the implications of this. And the question for you and all the other marketers out there is: “What does your brand identity imply?” For example, what do each of the following names do to the observer’s stream of consciousness?

Put a random object next to each of these names, and notice how the name colors your perception of that object. A Penthouse telephone is very different from an Oprah telephone, or a Disney telephone. Once you’ve got that image in mind, how will it affect the next actions you take?

How can your brand make conscious use of that subconscious brand recognition factor?