Advertising influences Us even when we're unaware. Here's how

by Vincenzo Russo

Behavioral economics and neuroscience studies have shown that much of our brain’s activation, stimulated by products, brands, or advertisements, occurs outside the perimeter of awareness. These stimuli can lead to an emotional response, which is then rationalized afterward. This implies the existence of unconscious learning processes and the possibility of memorizing without conscious control or reflective action.

How advertising makes an impact

The idea that advertising could unconsciously leave a mark is very old. It dates back to the early studies of advertising psychology, as seen in Walter Schott’s work. Schott wrote the first book on advertising psychology (The Psychology of Advertising in Theory and Practice, 1903) and claimed that advertising could affect people without their awareness. This notion was forgotten for about sixty years until the television advertising studies by Krugman and Hartley in the 1970s, which highlighted the emotional value of advertising over its rational meaning. Krugman (1971), echoing Schott, admitted the possibility of low-intensity attention, stating that television advertising has a significant impact due to this low engagement form compared to print media.

Studies on TV and print media

Krugman can be considered a pioneer of neuromarketing. He demonstrated the different levels of relationship between TV and print advertising using the Neuropsychological Laboratory at the Medical College of New York. In his 1967 experiments, he used electroencephalographic analysis and eye-tracking to study consumer reactions to TV versus print ads. He found that both media types require different levels of activation and engagement and can both lead to memory and learning processes. According to Krugman, TV advertising is simpler, less demanding, and occurs at a lower level of involvement than print media.

The influence of ads on viewers

Krugman and Hartley (1970) showed through various experiments that advertising could influence people at two main attention levels: high attention and low attention. Both processes have their function. Recognizing a form of persuasion based on low attention implies a system that considers unconscious processes as mechanisms capable of explaining persuasion’s effectiveness. This aspect was denied or persecuted for many years, as seen in the debate on subliminal advertising stimulated by James Vicary in 1957. Although Vicary’s results were manipulated, they sparked a deep debate in both the expert community and the public. Since then, the specter of subliminal advertising has remained in the collective imagination.

Advantages for marketing strategies

Today, neuroscience has shown that many stimuli reach the brain and activate it without awareness, proving that unconscious learning is possible. This has given rise to intuitive marketing, a new way of marketing that values brain knowledge and the possibility of persuasion with low attention. This does not mean that the classic rationalistic model, based on attracting attention, creating interest, and explaining the value of a product or service, does not work. It means acknowledging the possibility of planning marketing actions that also value unconscious processes and low-attention learning mechanisms. For those interested in the persuasive power of this model, I recommend Stephen Genco’s book "Intuitive Marketing: What Marketers Can Learn from Brain Science."

The wine marketing dilemma: reflect or attract attention?

This raises a natural question: should wine advertising or promotions aim to make people reflect or be enough to capture attention unconsciously? Moreover, what effect does viewing low-engagement advertising have on consumer behavior in a wine shop? Several studies have shown the strength of unconscious memorization and that advertising can work even with low consumer involvement.

What experiments show

To confirm the power of unconscious learning, consider a study by neuromarketing expert Thomas Ramsoy (2014), which demonstrated that communication could alter product perception by guiding visual attention to them in-store, unconsciously. The experiment involved three groups, each shown a series of advertisements before entering a store. One group did not see the target product ad (wall paint), another saw a 15-second ad, and the third saw a 30-second ad. When invited to choose a wall paint product in-store, the group exposed to the 30-second ad chose the promoted product more frequently.

Eye-tracking showed significantly higher unconscious attention in the two experimental groups (15 and 30 sec.) compared to the control group. Yet, none of the experimental group members reported being influenced by the ad, with some even denying having seen it. This further proves the effectiveness of mere exposure and the importance of measuring unconscious processes in market research, as neuromarketing does (Russo, 2017). This highlights the importance of communication and marketing stimuli in guiding consumer behavior and expectations, whether consciously or unconsciously.