Seducing the Subconscious The Psychology of Emotional Influence in Advertising

A must-read for anyone intrigued by the role and influence of the ad world, Seducing the Subconscious explores the complexities of our relationship to advertising. Robert Heath uses approaches from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to outline his theory of the subconscious influence of advertising in its audience?s lives. In addition to looking at ads? influence on consumers, Heath also addresses how advertising is evolving, noting especially the ethical implications of its development. Supported by current research, Seducing the Subconscious shows us just how strange and complicated our relationship is with the ads we see every day.

Introduction 1

Part 1 Taking Advertising Apart

1 The Persuasion Model 15

2 Alternative Ideas 24

3 WhyWe Don’t Pay Attention to Advertising 39

Part 1 Summary 48

Part 2 The Psychology of Communication

4 Learning and Attention 53

5 The Role of Memory 63

6 HowWe Process Communication 74

7 Problems with Getting Attention 85

Part 2 Summary 95

Part 3 Emotion and Consciousness

8 Emotional Processing 101

9 Our Adaptive Subconscious 111

10 Emotion and Attention 123

Part 3 Summary 133

Part 4 Decisions and Relationships

11 Decision-Making 137

12 The Power of Metacommunication 149

13 The Subconscious Seduction Model 160

Part 4 Summary 174

Part 5 Taking A Fresh Look at Advertising

14 Under the Radar 179

15 The Hidden Power of New Media 189

16 Legal, Decent, Honest, and Truthful? 198

17 How to Spot Subconscious Seduction 207

Conclusion 219

References 229

Index 239