Subliminal Images 101: Subliminal Marketing

Companies pour millions of dollars into advertising every year, using television, radio, print ads, and other media to convince you to buy their products. Although many people claim to be unaffected by advertising, scientific research shows that ads can be powerful incentives to think more favorably about a brand or product. One popular advertising technique is the use of subliminal images which appear below your threshold of conscious awareness. Although you are totally oblivious to the subliminal stimulus, it still has the power to affect your thoughts and feelings.

Subliminal Messages: The Basics

A subliminal message is any type of stimulus that passes below conscious awareness. Most commonly, these are images or sounds. The purpose of a subliminal image is to embed a brand name, product, or other stimulus in the viewer’s mind without his/her conscious awareness. Although the concept of using subliminal images was formulated in the early 20th century, it exploded following a 1957 ad campaign conducted by James Vicary.

During a movie showing, Vicary presented images every five seconds that said “Hungry? Eat Popcorn” or “Drink Coca-Cola.” Each image lasted 1/3000th of a second and remained unnoticed by viewers; however, popcorn and Coca-Cola sales shot up. The downside of this example is that it was a hoax and never happened, the interesting thing is that this concept is now considered an archaic old school process for tapping into the unconscious mind and mind science has evolved one hundred fold since this publicity stunt.

Although subliminal messaging can be put to use in a negative way by allowing advertisers to influence consumers without their knowledge, it can also have positive effects. Presentation of subliminal images and audio messages is often used in weight loss or smoking cessation programs. Dozens of research studies have explored the power of subliminal images to change thoughts and behaviors.

Scientific Research

Central to the use of subliminal images is the concept of priming. Priming refers to a phenomenon in which exposure to a stimulus influences later behavior patterns. For example, briefly flashing a smiley face before presenting a neutral word (e.g., “food”) increases the likelihood that you will rate the word as being positive. A briefly flashed sad face has the opposite effect.

A 2009 study in the journal Emotion presented positive or negative words so briefly that participants were not consciously aware of them. The participants were then asked to categorize the words as positive or negative. They performed better than chance, correctly labeling 66% of negative words. This experiment demonstrates the effect subliminal images may have on emotion.

A review article published in Neuroimage in 2012 found that subliminal stimuli increase brain activity in the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and other brain areas associated with emotional processing and memory. Other studies supporting the effectiveness of subliminal images have been published in Consciousness and Cognition and Brain and Cognition.

Major Uses of Subliminal Images

Corporate Advertisements

One of the most common uses of subliminal images is in corporate advertising campaigns. Coke, Camel cigarettes, Sprite, McDonalds, and other major corporations have made use of this technique. The FCC forbids the use of briefly flashed subliminal images in radio or TV programming, saying that it is “inconsistent with a station’s obligation to serve the public interest.”

In a 1984 hearing in a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee, the Hon. Dan Glickman noted that subliminal communication technology poses “serious moral, ethical, and legal” problems that merit a closer look. The United Nations agreed, labeling the use of subliminal images “a major threat to human rights.

“One popular legal technique using subliminal images is product placement, in which a brand name is surreptitiously placed into a movie or scenario that is not clearly an advertisement. For example, Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City spends hours typing on her Apple computer; this is a classic example of using subliminal images to influence consumer behavior.

Military and Government

During World War II, the U.S. Air Force used subliminal images to improve pilot recognition of friendly vs. enemy aircraft. They briefly flashed the images at a level below conscious awareness and corrected pilots’ answers until they were able to correctly identify enemy planes.

More sinister uses of subliminal messaging have occurred during wartime. Propaganda posters often used subliminal images to drum up support for the war effort. For example, Nazi posters subtly portrayed Hitler in a conquering warrior or messianic pose, leading Germans to think of him as a savior from evil. Communist countries have also used this technique in propaganda posters, using subliminal images to boost the popular image of a dictator.

Despite concerns about the ethical issues surrounding the use of subliminal images, they remain a commonly used technique in the private and government sectors. Certain forms of subliminal messaging are forbidden by the FCC, but subtle imagery designed to influence consumer behavior remains widespread. Subliminal images have the power to do good by increasing motivation or boosting self-esteem as well as the power to do immense harm by supporting totalitarian regimes or undermining free will. Becoming aware of the use of subliminal images is a strong step toward becoming a savvy consumer.

Sources:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Exposure%20to%20subliminal%20arousing%20stimuli%20induces%20robust%20activation%20in%20the%20amygdala%2C%20hippocampus%2C

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19803583
www.fcc.gov/guides/public-and-broadcasting-july-2008#Subliminal

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James Scott is the CEO of Princeton Corporate Solutions, a corporate globalization and political strategies firm, PCS offers a unique blend of think tank, corporate and governmental communication strategies to expedite the facilitation of long lasting relationship building in these necessary sectors. http://princetoncorporatesolutions.com

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Subliminal Images 101: Subliminal Marketing

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