In: Economics
briefly explain What is subliminal advertising and what are the issues that surround it?
Subliminal advertising conveys secret meanings that audiences are not fully aware of. This marketing technique poses major ethical concerns, in particular because subliminal advertising can influence consumer behavior even when consumers are not making a deliberate decision and are not aware of what they have seen. Advertisers who deliberately use subliminal messages may face a customer uproar and may even land in legal difficulties.
Advertisers also seek to build a connection between a product and satisfaction, improved health or more financial stability. However, real subliminal advertising seeks to create an connection that the user does not know. For example, an advertiser may insert a single frame into a cartoon containing a message or use an image that triggers sexual thoughts without the user being conscious of such thoughts. This is very difficult to prove that the advertiser has used subliminal advertising because viewers are not fully aware that the ad is influencing their behaviour.
The advertising industry operates to educate customers of rival products and to persuade them to prefer one product over another. Subliminal ads, however, limits customer preference. For example , a woman who sees a subliminal ad for makeup may not be purchasing a product because she likes the way it works or because of the price. Alternatively, a subliminal message could cause her to believe that without the mascara, she would be harmed or that the mascara might somehow enhance her life. Although advertisers often subtly transmit these messages, subliminal messages are delivered in such a way that consumers are not consciously aware of them,
Many subliminal advertisements appeal to unethical impulses or target a particular audience improperly. For example, a cigarette advertiser may inject a subliminal message telling kids that smoking is cool or healthy. Many marketers can use offensive sexual messages. This may weaken the consumer's conscious beliefs, encourage unethical conduct or increase the consumer's willingness to participate in an unsafe or dangerous activity. Since customers are not aware of the post, they do not realize that they are being manipulated into actions that they would not otherwise show. Many buyers have suggested that artists inject subliminal messages into their songs.
There are no clear laws banning subliminal ads, but a number of states have attempted to ban the practice. Consumers can sue if they believe they are harmed by ads, even though there is no clear law prohibiting subliminal advertising. These lawsuits are called wrongs, and they allege intentional or negligent harm. The Federal Trade Commission needs advertisers to be honest in their ads, and marketers who breach the rule of truth-in-advertising by the use of deceptive subliminal messages could be fined.