One of the most interesting areas of application for hypnotic structures in visuals and language is in advertising. Certainly these structures are all around us; in our entertainment media, our conversations, business communications, architecture and art.

But their use in advertising is most closely related to their use in clinical practice, because the advertiser is single minded in their objective to significantly affect how the viewer or listener feels or thinks about something very specific.

We use these structures naturally and unconsciously, because they fulfil a fundamental role for us; they increase the likelihood of that communication engaging with people and holding their attention. They also improve its chances of affecting what people believe and how they think about something or somebody.

Regardless of content, we know from our own experiences that some writing or speaking or music is plain boring. Whilst others have a magical hook in their structure that is difficult to pin down or describe.

Most people who incorporate these magical structures in their communications do so unconsciously; without thinking about it. ESP believe that we can all interact more effectively if we learn and apply these structures consciously. So what about those people who might already understand them? Or those people who are naturally adept at applying them?

If this theory is true, we should see high incidences of hypnotic and subliminal structures in materials that we know are already engaging and influencing people. And, we should be able to use this scientific comparative analysis to underpin our existing, relative judgements.