Screenshot of George Costanza, Seinfeld Episode 522/Wikipedia
Every now and then TV1's repository of television show trivia yields a little gem. Fans of the comedy Seinfeld will be all too familiar with the character George Costanza - his neuroses, pettiness and insecurities. But it's not just deft scriptwriting and the skill of actor Jason Alexander that make this character larger than life. According to TV1, the costume department always dressed Jason in clothes that were just a size too small, which instantly had comedic effect, although most viewers probably weren't aware of why.
I think this is a great example of priming, that is, eliciting certain thoughts, in this case, the expectation that George is a loser. Visual or verbal cues that provoke certain implicit thoughts can likewise be used in advertising. They can help add a layer of subtlety, which a lot of ads lack, partly due to time constraints and the need to convey a particular explicit message about the brand.
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