Watching television tonight, I became aware of something profound. At least, I think it’s profound. It’s all about advertising. The fact is that NLP is used in advertising to the extreme these days. I mean that they absolutely BOMBARD you with visual stimulus until your head spins (Imagine Linda Blair on The Exorcist). They think they can bypass THE MUTE BUTTON! That’s right. They know that if you mute a commercial, you totally have to keep your eyes on the screen in order to know exactly when the show comes back on. In fact, you are better off if you leave the sound on. They are using less auditory hypnotic suggestions because they know about THE MUTE BUTTON.
Okay, I am completely aware that the auditory suggestions are still there. Mostly, they are using song sound tracks from our past, and they chose the songs that appeal to the age group they are trying to reach. If we hear music we can relate to and enjoy, we are less likely to use that irritating MUTE BUTTON.
Most of us aren’t really thinking about all of the hypnotic suggestions we receive daily, and that’s what makes it work. The less we pay attention to the commercials, the more we are affected by them. Hypnosis works because it bypasses the critical factor (or conscious) mind. The less you are thinking about it, the more the suggestions creep right into your subconscious and influence your choices.
Today’s commercials are boring and unimaginative. They lack something very important that advertising from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s had an abundance of. FUN! Yep, they were FUN. Jingles were written specifically for the product, and I remember most of them TO THIS DAY.
For example:
“I’d love to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner. That is what I’d truly like to be. Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner…..everyone would be in love with me.” “Well, I’m glad I’m NOT an Oscar Meyer Weiner. That is what I’d never want to be. Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner, there would sure be nothing left of me!”
OR
“I’m a pepper, he’s a pepper, she’s a pepper, we’re a pepper….Wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too? Be a pepper,,,,drink Dr. Pepper.”
OR
“Hold the pickles; hold the lettuce. Special orders won’t upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way.” (Burger King)
OR
“McDonalds is our kind of place. It’s such a happy place. A clean and snappy place. Hap-hap-hap-happy place. McDonalds is our kind of place – YOUR kind of place!”
I could go on and on, but if you were lucky enough to have grown up when I did, I hope you enjoyed it, because the times, they are a changin’.
In NLP we were taught to appeal to ALL of the senses, not just a select few. Where is the KINESTHETIC? I know GUSTATORY is out, until we create smell-a-vision, but how about a little FEELING? When a commercial makes us happy, we are sold. When we walk through the grocery store singing the cute song we heard on television, we are going to buy that product! If we smile when we think about the product, it goes straight into our shopping carts, no questions asked.
Listen up advertisers! If you really want us to buy your product, start appealing to all of our senses. Connect to our emotions and our feelings. Make us laugh, make us cry and touch our hearts. That’s what will sell us on your product!
