Unconscious can have several meanings, it does not necessarily mean that someone is knocked out, it can mean that you perceive something not consciously, which is recorded in your subconscious. The subconscious is a place in your memory where impressions are stored, including those that you have not consciously perceived, but they can condition your behavior, your aversions or your preferences, without there being an objective cause or you really knowing why. This is what this subliminal manipulation takes advantage of. We are surrounded by these manipulations that remain engraved in us, in shopping in supermarkets, colors of packaging, location of items, even using product names as a generic synonym, like eg googling to search for something on the Internet. Worse is that it is also used in political slogans, influencing voters towards a certain ideology against any reason. Recognizing these techniques is the first step to combating them, although it is very difficult not to fall into this trap, despite knowing it. We are all Pavlov's dogs in this game.