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102
HERMANN KUHN
SUTRAS
Conscious apprehension (avagraha) therefore happens in two stages: 1 - First we perceive something indistinct. Our attention is alerted
peripherally, but does not focus on the experience. 2 - The perception happens again. Our attention engages, the ex
perience gets clearer and becomes ready for further (conscious)
processing As academic as this might sound, as tangible and harsh do we experience it during daily life. The current marketing and advertisement techniques for example prefer to transmit certain impulses only subconsciously, - i.e. they like to keep these impulses on the level of indistinct perception (stage one).
Though we might hardly be aware of it, even the indistinct and vague perception of stage one communicates the entire spectrum an object or event carries within (see previous sutra). So, if a vague feeling is transmitted to us on stage one that a certain (useless) object appears attractive, then from now on we carry a subconscious tendency for an impulse-buy within us.
The advertising company makes enormous efforts to prevent this vague impulse from ever progressing to stage two. Because once we perceive the content of the advertisement on a conscious level, chances are great that we recognize the uselessness of the promoted object. The spontaneity of buying the advertiser intended is then rendered ineffective, since we made a conscious decision against it.
Advertisement that uses this subtle mechanism is specially effective if it engages taste, touch and hearing, since indistinct apprehension (avagraha) is not available to all senses. This is also the reason why visual stimuli combined with sound (e.g. TV) are far more effective than advertisement using only sight (e.g. posters, billboards).
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