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SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING ASSIGNMENT
In the late 1950s, an advertising executive held a press conference to announce a revolutionary
breakthrough in marketing techniques: subliminal advertising. The word “subliminal” comes
from the Latin: sub (“below”) and limen (“threshold”). The words “Eat Popcorn” and “CocaCola” had been flashed on a movie screen in a New Jersey theater on alternate nights for six
weeks, according to the executive. Although the flashes were so brief (1/3,000 of a second, once
every five seconds) that none of the moviegoers even seemed to notice them, the sale of popcorn
and Coca-Cola rose dramatically.
The public response to this announcement was long, loud, and hysterical. In a TV interview,
Aldous Huxley predicted that it would be possible to manipulate people politically with this
technique “by about 1964” (quoted in Brown, 1963: p. 184). Congressional representatives
called for FCC regulations, while several state legislatures passed laws banning subliminal ads.
Meanwhile, more test results began to appear. When the man who made the original claims
staged another test for the FCC a few months later, the results were ambiguous. Later, WTWOTV in Bangor, Maine flashed the words “If you have seen this message write WTWO” on the
screen for 1/60 of a second every day for a week. Nobody wrote. A Seattle radio station
experimented with auditory subliminal ads. During regular programming, a very low whisper in
the background repeated “TV’s a bore” and “Isn’t TV dull?” There is no reason to believe that
these ads had any effect.
The heavy metal group Judas Priest released an album entitled Stained Class. Two families
sued the group, alleging that subliminal messages in the music encouraged their sons’ suicides.
The musicians’ lawyers cited evidence showing the lack of a causal link between subliminal
messages and behavior. The group denied that it was a planned message, and they were
acquitted.
The idea for subliminal ads was a natural outgrowth of a long series of controversial studies on
subliminal perception – the ability to notice stimuli that affect only the unconscious mind.
Most of these earlier studies involved presenting verbal or visual material at intensities that were
considered too low for people to perceive. However, a more critical look at the studies revealed
several flaws in the way they were designed and carried out. For example, the original New
Jersey study was done by non-psychologists working for the Subliminal Projection Company.
No attempt was made to assess or control factors other than the subliminal message that might
have influenced the purchase of Coke or popcorn. The temperature in the theater and the length
of the movie might have contributed to the increase in sales. Unfortunately, the study was not
presented in enough detail to be evaluated by scientists.
Even if it is possible for people to perceive information at very low levels of intensity, there is no
clear evidence that these weak, often limited, messages would be more powerful than conscious
messages in influencing people. The idea may be appealing to some advertising executives
looking for a way to increase sales. There is a consensus among psychologists who have done
well-controlled studies, however, that subliminal advertising does not work. (Bornstein, 1989).
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
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Find an instance of subliminal advertising, and describe how it is used.
Conduct a subliminal messaging experiment and report your conclusions.
o Ex: Post a sign in a prominent are of the school that states “ASK MR. RICHEY ABOUT
JOINING THE GOURMET HAMBURGER CHEF’S CLUB”
 Leave the sign up for a minute each day, during a particularly busy time of the
day
 Ask Mr. Richey how many people did indeed ask him about your club.
In your conclusion, discuss the meanings of your results in regards to the validity of subliminal
messaging.
Be sure to use the scientific method in your experiment!