Subliminal messages in advertising: fact or fiction?

The word “sublime”, originally derived from Latin sublimate (“high”), a word probably not related to sub-limen (“below the limit” or “below the threshold”). Subliminal messages in advertising are short visual or auditory messages that are presented below the human threshold, which means that there is less than a 25% chance that the messages will be perceived. It is a visual or audio presentation technique that sends advertising messages below the threshold of conscious perception. Or in simple terms, a promotional message in front of a television or film audience, so short and fast, that it does not register in the conscious mind of the viewer.

However, the message registers below the conscious level and provides a stimulus for action. In movies that are screened in cinemas, it is possible to insert a single frame in twenty-four. The message in the frame could be, for example, “You are hungry.” Repeating the message a hundred times at short intervals could, in theory, persuade the audience to buy soft drinks while at the movies. Antagonists claim that any type of subliminal message can be conveyed in this way, including bad propaganda and messages that encourage violent behavior and criminal activity. In fact, no one is sure whether the system works or not.

Subliminally embedded messages still exist. The moot question is: How common are they? A study of advertising executives found that few, if any, marketing agencies make an effort to insert subliminal messages into advertising. In light of the powerful impact ordinary ads have, it just doesn’t make much sense for ad creators to rack their brains to incorporate subliminal messages into commercials. Furthermore, if the media ever found out (and in any developed country they eventually would) that an ad agency had slipped a subliminal spot into a commercial, the negative press the agency would receive would overwhelm any potential benefit from the subliminal message.