Dual Coding Theory

The dual coding theory is an idea I find quite interesting. It is certainly evident in most commercials, and I have even found it in movies quite often as well(probably not always intentionally though).

The first occurance that came to my mind was the Geico commercials with the cavemen. The one I remember most is the advertisement, with the caveman in the airport on the moving belt, with the song "Remind Me" by Röyksopp playing in the background. Between the commercial and the song itself, I always get a good laugh. I also remember this commercial everytime I hear the song. An example from a movie I actually had a conversation about the other day is the movie "Reservoir Dogs." In this movie there is a scene where Michael Madsen's character, Mr. Blonde, tortures a guy, including cutting off his ear and attempting to light him on fire, while listening to "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel on the radio. Now everytime I hear that song I think of that scene (great scene by the way).

The theory can also be used in a negative way such as the "Head On" jingle mentioned in class(it makes me want to beat my head against my desk), as well as the "Truth" commercials with people lying in the street, as if dead, to portray the death rate caused by smoking(they certainly make me glad I'm not a smoker).

At any rate, there are potentially millions of examples that could be called upon to prove both the occurance, and the effectiveness, of this in advertising. The theory truly works, and is a very strong and simple tool for committing things to memory.