Every business has its values and so does the
society. When a society starts observing hidden messages of the organizations doing
business around it and finds those organizations “conditioning” it to purchase
more by compromising its values, it reacts. Customers are part of the society
and their reaction hits revenue targets in a negative way. Above all, bad word of
mouth turns promoters and passives into detractors. This is exactly what is
happening with most of the organizations.
Before applying subliminal marketing and Ivan
Pavlov’s (stimulus-response) conditioning theory in their commercials,
organizations must know that these are neither new to the industry nor to the
modern-day customers.
"On September 12, 1957, a market researcher named
James M. Vicary called a press conference to announce the formation of a new
corporation, the Subliminal Projection Company, formed to exploit what Vicary
called a major breakthrough in advertising: subliminal stimuli. Vicary
described the results of a six-week test conducted in a New Jersey movie
theatre, in which a high speed projector was used to flash the slogans “drink
coke” and “eat popcorn” over the film for 1/3,000 of a second at five-second
intervals. According to Vicary’s storehouse, popcorn sales went up 57.5 per
cent over the six weeks; cokes sales were up 18.1 per cent."
This was the first time when use of subliminal marketing
was reported. In later years, it became part of the strategy. Like many other
marketing strategies, organizations are not mindful about the negative impact of
subliminal marketing on the society. They are not trying understand that combination
of subliminal marketing and usage of conditioning theory adds fuel to the fire.
It earns them bad profits only and then turns the customers into detractors.
Customer experience is on stake even if customer does not use any product or
service. Customer’s experience is bad because of the subliminal marketing and
conditioning techniques the organizations use. Interestingly, none of the
reports give real picture of people’s perception especially those who are not
even customers but have strong influence on the society.
In
Pakistani market, Organizations somehow underestimated the power of Intelligentsia.
The intelligentsia has highlighted that subliminal marketing and conditioning
theories have not only been used to convert wants into needs but also to
introduce western culture by compromising local values through commercials, documentaries,
films and cartoon movies by the entire industry. From banking sector, textile
industry, food chains, media, beverages to sports industry, everyone has
contributed to it, they say.
It
is also said that post (year) 2000 era has exactly the opposite impact on the
society than that of 90s.
From
a superstar’s mesmerizing early morning “Ji, main cigarette nahi peeta”, “Ye
mardana darhi hay, baaton say nahi banti, “Daant sufaid aur chamakdaar”, “Aye
Khuda mere Abbu salamat rahain”, “Kaam, Kaam, Kaam, din raat krain ham kaam.
Jab kaam say thak jaen tu khoob krain aaraam” and “Laado k lashkaray, Jugmug
kapray saaray” to “Sexy Mobile”, “Taras na kha, Ruggar Day”, “Food ka Love”, “Teri
Mehrbani”, “Aap ko paisay time pay miltay rahain gey”, the organizations have
not only conditioned the customers to increase their sales but also has
negatively impacted the society through subliminal marketing. Pre 2000 era
would ensure that girls and guys should have a culturally accepted and ‘legal’
relationship with each other in their commercials. However subliminal effects
of post 2000 era quite unacceptable to the society.
Organizations
focus on what customer ‘wants’ but not on what the society would not like. They
prefer fulfil customers’ needs before their competition. However they usually
compromise on few things that society may question about. In recent years,
organizations have propagated the culture that suits them even if it looks
nearer to cultural jamming than truly advertising the products. They are
conditioning the society to watch an ‘illegal’, socially unacceptable relationship
(especially in remote areas) between the opposite genders, ridiculing the
competitors, promoting pursuing careers in abroad, using slangs of western or
Indian culture and making efforts to the addiction of food and subliminally the
products attached to food, textile, sports and banks.
Organizations
forgot that most of the people follow their elders and follow them religiously.
“Folk wisdom” is more in practice than technology. They forgot as to how
people, in other words their loyal customers would respond to the usage of
“conditioning theory”. Elders would not get conditioned. They would rather
analyze the product and its impact on society and would guide the young lot
i.e. their potential and existing customers as to why they should not use it.
Industry and elders of the family, both focus on youth. What the organizations
must not forget is that the impact of the social norms and elders’ suggestions
is by all means more than the commercials. The subliminal marketing can hurt
the organizations too. Looking at the bigger picture, customers may decide to
quit and stop using the services. Poor advertisement, subliminal marketing,
using conditioning theories and making attempts of cultural jamming can badly
hit back to the organizations.
Above
all, organizations must remember that business and customers are part of the society
and so are the employees. While
designing commercials, organizations should not forget that the marketing
techniques they are using should not have a clash to the values the
organizations want their employees to exhibit. Employees are internal customers
and are directly connected with the external customers and with the society.
They have to answer questions of the customers and keep the brand name alive.
They must feel a connection between customers, products, employees and the
society.
Moreover,
the organizations should try to connect sales with marketing as they face
market more than marketing department. They should avoid launching any such
products that may hurt society’s values and security. Subliminal marketing is not
always unethical but at times it is, especially when it tries to generate
revenue by compromising on cultural values. Industry may forgive the
organizations but people won’t who are the actual customers.
