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Subliminal Advertising: Finding The Hidden Message
Scott Claxton
Savannah State
Subliminal Advertising: Finding The Hidden Message
Abstract: Subliminal advertising has become a controversial subject when it comes to advertising.
Whether or not it works is debatable and most companies would never admit to using it. Subliminal
messages are created to draw the consumer in by triggering a response unconsciously. The use of sexual
stimuli and weak stimuli repeated over and over are methods used in this form of advertising said to affect
consumer behavior. This research explores the use of subliminal advertising in print and media ads and
its creation in 1957. This research addresses the following questions.
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Do advertisers consciously choose to include subliminal messages in their ads?
Can they use subliminal power to associate their products with sex and power?
Does subliminal advertising actually affect a consumer's buying decisions?
Key Words: Subliminal Advertising, Unconscious Awareness, Sexual Stimuli
Introduction
As advertisers continue to develop new ways to attract consumers subliminal advertising
is becoming more prevalent in ads. Subliminal advertising is defined as the use of images and
sounds to influence consumer’s responses without their being consciously aware of it.
Promotional messages the recipient is not aware of can be played at very low volume or flashed
on a screen for less than a second. Its effectiveness is not supported by scientific evidence and its
use is considered a deceptive business practice in some jurisdictions (Carroll & Luna, 2011).
Subliminal ads can range from a company logo being flashed on the screen for a split second to a
hidden message being placed in a print ad. Whether or not the message actually helped create
sales for the desired product or service is hard to gauge because no one can tell if the consumer
really received the message and encoded it. The ability to perceive a stimulus that is below the
level of conscious awareness is called subliminal perception. Psychologists generally agree it is
possible to perceive a message without being consciously being aware of them. The idea of
marketers influencing consumer behavior at the subconscious level has strong ethical
implications (Rogers & Smith, 1993).
Subliminal advertising tends to work best when it plays to peoples hope, fears, and
sexuality. These cues seem to draw people in and divert their attention to the desired message
the ad is attempting to present. Subliminal Advertising does really work, claim scientists who
found that people subconsciously respond to flashed messages especially if they are negative.
Studies have shown that negative images seem to deliver the best results because the brain is
more likely to recall those images. The impact of subliminal messages, defined as those received
below the threshold of consciousness, has long been a topic for marketing literature, despite the
lack of theoretical perspectives or substantive data that this form of communication provides a
persuasive messages that might impact consumer thinking or cause changes in consumer
behavior (Rotfeld & Taylor 2009). There are two theoretical approaches to subliminal
advertising, the first method is constant repetition of weak stimuli which has an incremental
effect that enables such stimuli to build response strength over many presentations such as
images being flashed during a movie or played in audio. The second approach is based on the
theory that subliminal sexual stimuli arouse unconscious sexual motivations and is usually used
in print ads (Kelly, 1979). Understanding how subliminal advertising works and the different
ways it can be used to influence consumer behavior is very important for companies to remain
competitive and gain an edge in an already competitive market.
Literature Review
The subject of subliminal stimulation has recently been deemed newsworthy by various
news media and consumer publications. Reports have discussed the use of subliminal techniques
used by retailers to increase sales and police to attempt to reduce shoplifting and capture
criminals (Kelly, 1979). The concept of subliminal advertising is being used by more and more
in an effort to increase sales and gain an edge in an ever growing competitive marketplace. In
this ever growing market it is important to understand how advertising agencies use these
techniques to create effective ads that draw in consumers.
The most important reason for developing this controversial form of advertising is to beat
the competition to the punch. If one agency is employing subliminal advertising and another is
not it is just like leaving some options that could be explored on the table. Subliminal messages
are not uncommon in the media and some feel that these messages have some supernormal
simulative effects on people. Realizing these effects leads one not to be surprised by accusations
reporting that subliminal techniques are being used in consumer advertising (Kelly, 1979).
Whether or not subliminal advertising works for all consumers in not known, but even if it works
on one third of them employing those techniques become a valuable tool. Before an agency can
employ effective subliminal ads they must first understand when and where to place these ads
and what message they want to deliver to the consumer.
Sexual stimuli is the most common form of subliminal advertising and tends to have the
greatest effect on consumers. It is most commonly used in print ads and depicts an explicit scene
or incorporate sex in one form or another. This is said to lead consumers to form a more
favorable impression of the brand or product even if they did not subconsciously know exactly
what they were looking at while observing the ad (Zanot, Pincus & Lamp, 1983). These can be as
subtle as ice cubes in a glass in the shape of a female figure or as bold as steam coming off a hot
sub sandwich spelling sex. In figure one below there are two ads which depict a form of
subliminal advertising. The picture on the left is a subtle form of sexual stimuli and is said to
depict a female figure in the light reflected off the ice cubes. Whether or not it’s there is a
controversial issue and if it had any effect on consumer behavior is almost impossible to gauge.
The picture on the right has the word sex spelled out in the steam coming off the sub sandwich
and the Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps standing to the side of it. In this ad it’s easier to
see the message, but still hard to determine if the stimuli helped generate sale for the company.
Figure 1: Weak versus Strong Sexual Stimuli
These are both examples of subliminal advertising in which the consumer can draw their
own conclusion on how effective they really are at first glance. The real question is would the
consumer have noticed the embedded sexual stimuli and what effect would it have had on their
perception of the product. The psychological effects of subliminal perception has attracted and
perplexed researchers for over 100 years. Studies have shown that people’s perception of ads
with hidden stimuli invoked a stronger response than those ads that were found to have no
subliminal message at all in them (Zanot, Pincus & Lamp, 1983). Understanding what works
and when to use it is key in developing an ad that attracts target consumers and influences
buying behavior. However, figuring this out when it comes to using subliminal advertising is
next to impossible to accomplish and can be controversial.
Subliminal adverting has always been a controversial issue and many consider it to be an
unethical business practice. Many consider it to be a form of trickery or a type of deception
which is used to encourage consumers to behave a certain way. Most of the advertising
communities regard this activity as nonexistent. Since agencies have not been forthcoming, one
can only assume there must be a reason for them saying it does not exist. An answer could be
that subliminal embedding is purposefully carried out in print advertising and that discussing it
openly might bring undue attention by those that might find this practice questionable (Kelly,
1979). This would create two negative responses, one being it would reveal that this practice
does take place and companies are employing it into their campaigns to influence consumer
behavior and two it would force the embedded message out which may produce a undesired
response. If the message is relayed to the consumer and it’s not in subliminal form the response
may be perceived as negative or a type of force ad and may draw consumers away from a
product or service. The whole point of a subliminal message is to draw the consumer in
subconsciously and create a response without their knowledge. In the Subway ad the point is to
create the idea that the sandwich is sexy and at the same time show the Olympic gold medalist
Michael Phelps without his shirt on (see figure 1). If Subway came out and told the consumer
the steam spelled out sexy and this was their intention some may find the ad offensive and steer
away from making a purchase. By not revealing this the consumer may not see its real intention
and is left to make their own decision about the product. The sexual stimuli may register in their
brain and create an unconscious buying decision without them actually knowing. An alternative
explanation is that it is difficult to refute the charge that subliminal advertising is being carried
out. Many researchers have assembled examples of what they call subliminal embeds in ads
ranging from liquor to cosmetics. When one is told where to look, it has to be agreed that there
seem to be images such as the letters S-E-X in ice cubes, phalli in reflections, seductive nude
bodies in shadows and death symbols in the magazine ads (Rogers, & Smith, 1993). What one
sees is not always what they get when it comes to subliminal advertising.
Figure 2: Subliming Advertising Gets its Start
The birth of subliminal advertising as we know it dates to 1957 when a market researcher
named James Vicary inserted the words "Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" into a movie.
This was his attempt to see if sales increased after the ad was flashed across the screen. The
words appeared for a single frame, allegedly long enough for the subconscious to pick up, but
too short for the viewer to be aware of it. The subliminal ads supposedly created an 18.1%
increase in Coke sales and a 57.8% increase in popcorn sales. Vicary's results turned out to be a
hoax, but more recent experiments have shown that subliminal messages actually can affect
behavior in small ways (Moore, 1982). Vicary’s experiment showed there was a connection
between a short stimuli and an increase in sales. This set the foundation for agencies to
incorporate this technique into their ad campaigns even though most would never admit to it.
Understanding even a small boost in sales would be beneficial in an ever growing competitive
market caused researchers to further look into this new practice.
Figure 3: Sexual Advertising
In the figure 3 above Coca Cola a company which also claims not to use subliminal
advertising depicts an ice cold can of Coke fresh out of the cooler. If one looks close at the ice
on top of the can they will see the form of a female body lying down. The consumer may not
realize what they are looking at when they see this ad, but the image may register subconsciously
to the consumer who later makes a purchase. Coca Cola seems to be using sex in an attempt to
sell its product to consumers and create the idea that this product is sexy. Today, the threshold
concept says that people can respond to stimuli without being able to report on their existence is
accepted and well documented (Moore, 1982). So even though consumers may not have seen the
image of the lady their purchase could have been directly influenced by it.
Conceptual Framework
Figure 4
Repeating
Image
Weak
Stimuli
Sexual
Stimuli
Unconscious Awareness
Influence Consumer Behavior
Product
Power
Strong
Image
In Figure 4 seen above the subliminal advertising process is broken down to its basic
elements. Based on the two theoretical approaches a weak stimulus has an incremental effect
that enables it to build response strength over many presentations. The second approach is based
on the theory that subliminal sexual stimuli arouse unconscious sexual motivations. Both
approaches used to increase consumer spending behavior and create a powerful image for the
product.
Conclusion
Starting with James Vicary attempt to influence consumer behavior in 1957 with his “eat
popcorn and drink Coca Cola” plug during a movie subliminal advertising has taken off. The
concept of being able to control consumers’ minds has long been a dream of advertisers.
Whether or not it works is left up to the individual to decide, but the best part is that they may
not even be aware of its effect on them. Subliminal advertising has come a long way since it was
first introduced and is a very controversial issue that is considered unethical. Most companies
will not admit to using this form of advertising, but it can be seen in ads all over the world. The
results of subliminal advertising may be hard to gauge if not impossible because there is no way
to tell if the consumer actually received the message and then if that message triggered a
response. Even knowing this for agencies in this competitive market we live in today not to use
every technique available they are leaving valuable opportunities on the table. Subliminal
advertising may not be the most efficient form of advertising, but it does exist and companies are
going to implement it any way possible.
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