Ask any advertiser what one of the most important things in reaching your audience is and the majority will not say budget, appeal, or quality, not even production value. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is if their target remembered and retained a memory of their brand and product, because that is what results in revenue.

Marketers are always looking for the next “big innovation” that will change the field of advertising and elevate them to a step above their competition. This time the automotive company BMV was the innovative beneficiary of a brain changing competitive advantage. Known mostly for exuding luxury and performance, BMW’s advertisements are generally simple and to the point; that is until this commercial came out.

It was made for a movie theater where moviegoers were guinea pigs on an “afterimage effect” that causes a glowing circle to appear in your mind, just like looking into the sun and closing your eyes immediately after. Which is what BMW did, they flashed a bright light threw their logo almost near the end of their commercial and asked the audience to immediately close their eyes. What they saw was a BMW image imprinted into their mind. This is nothing new, it’s called “subliminal advertising” and BMW has just given you a glimpse of how marketers get in the backdoor of the mind.

[Gizmodo via Strobist]