Frustrated by traditional courtship, Japanese women are trying a high-tech method to lure a mate: subliminal seduction.
This Valentine's Day, thousands of women are sending their paramours CDs laced with hidden messages.The Valentine CD Card, costing about $8, touts itself as a "love potion." It contains four romantic songs plus a young woman's voice saying "Please love me" 5,000 times at high frequencies mainly inaudible to the human ear.
But the manufacturers, who cranked out 40,000 of the compact discs, give no guarantees.
"Like chocolates, it's the idea of giving it that counts," says Kazuo Tomatsu, a spokesman at Sanrio Co., which developed the CD along with Victor Japan.
Many women stuck with the traditional boxed set of chocolate truffles given on Valentine's Day. The average chocolate purchases by women were expected to approach $78 this year.
Most of the gifts are "giri choco," or "obligation chocolates," that female office employees buy for male co-workers. "Favorite chocolates" are only intended for Mr. Right.
"I bought chocolates for all 25 men in my office," said a young woman, who did not give her name. "It's too bad they were all giri choco."