Contents
Introduction
1.
Definition of Subliminal Messages
2.
History of Subliminal Messages
3.
Subliminal Perception
4.
Subliminal messages in Advertising
Summary
Reference
Introduction
Subliminal messages have become a standard tactic for advertising departments to
increase sales or even decrease behaviors. A highly publicized study in the 1950’s by James
Vicary incorporated a subliminal message in an ad “Drink Coke, Eat Popcorn.” The net effect
was an increase in sales after movies at the refreshment box.
A subliminal message is designed to affect one’s mind or behavior when the messages
cannot actually be seen or heard. The self- help corner in the bookstores, CD stores, or pop-ups
on internet sites contains advertisements with attention-getting phrases, such as “Stop
smoking! by listening to the tape an hour a day”, “Lose weight or learn a foreign language by
listening while you sleep”. Companies design these tapes for improving maladaptive behaviors,
such as quit smoking, stop bedwetting, improve well-being, relieve pain, gain intimacy,
develop creativity, improve athletically, or have financial success.
Is the subliminal effect an illusion or misrepresented? Some articles have reported positive
results, but the authors usually describe those changes as being due to the placebo effect.
