The targets' lack of awareness of the terms and nature of the persuasion process is a crucial component of passive-engagement communications.  It is what enables them to slip into our mindset without ever having to deal with our inner "watchdogs," the processes of logical thought and evaluation.

Later, when the message (typically no more than a compelling picture, symbol, or phrase) has been repeated enough times, it will be as familiar as any literal detail of our lives—the faces of people we know, the appearance of neighborhoods we frequently pass through, the feeling of anxiety we experience when it is time to pay bills.

The marketer's theme will then factor into our thoughts and decision-making processes in a manner equivalent to actual observations and direct experiences.