Subliminal Advertising

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how, with subliminal advertising, the viewer can remain totally unaware of the messages being conveyed through the commercial media. The advertisement may flash a word repeatedly, thus subconsciously affecting the consumer's thoughts and behavior. The paper shows how repeated exposure to imagery can possibly induce the changes in consumer behavior that are desired by the ad's sponsor. The paper notes, however, that studies on its effectiveness have been inconclusive. The paper points out that subliminal messages are illegal and unethical and probably less effective than well-crafted, cleverly designed ads that take advantage of the weaknesses inherent in the human mind.

From the Paper:

"Subliminal advertising has been one of the most alluring features of the marketing industry since 1950s, when moviegoers were allegedly exposed to the surreptitious signals while they watched a movie. Some alarmists claim that the American public is being constantly bombarded with subliminal messages that sell products and political messages, or simply induce a state of mind. In fact, Russian scientists had become so concerned about the potential of subliminal ads to influence television viewers that they developed a device that would detect and disable subliminal messages being broadcast on national television (Voyteskhovskiy). Concern about the potential power of subliminal advertising may be unfounded, however."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baragh, John A. "The most pwerful manipulative messages are hiding in plain sight" The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan 29, 1999 v45 i21 pB6(1)
• Gray, Gary. " Nothing subliminal about it: the truth about the myth of marketers' manipulative powers, from someone who was there. Marketing magazine 27 nov 200: 9. Proquest
• Moore, Ian. "Success is the face of a Brand" Incentive Business Dec 2005/Jan 2006: 54 Proquest
• Motluk, Alison "The ads you miss will get to you" New Scientist, April 29, 2006 v190 i2549 p16(1)
• Teinowitz, Ira. "Ad creates a rat problem for GOP; Creative rapping Al Gore's plan on prescriptions sparks a furor, worries ad execs" Advertising Age, Sept 2000 v71 p4

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