Some 10 years back, I was a wide-eyed guy, listening to lecture amongst the sea of marketing students.
Growing up, I adore Nike. The best basketball players in my school, or those who aspire to be the best, wore a pair of Air Jordan. The jumpman logo gives us belief. I was forever drawn to the power of branding and advertising. They can alter our perception. And perception is reality.
In one of the many short videos my lecturer used to play, one particular advertisement by Audi stood out. Never mind that I couldn’t afford to own one. Didn’t matter that I don’t know about much about cars. Without even test driving it, I knew I’m gonna own one in the future. I wasn’t drawn to the vehicle, I was drawn to the brand.
That is the power of subliminal advertising. Great advertising doesn’t reflect conscious desires so much as stir latent ones and subtly nudging the person towards that direction.
This was the ad that made me fell in love with Audi.