Advertising And Subliminal Messages

The venue was a small movie theatre in New Jersey. The orchestrator was James Vicary. The subjects were unknowing movie goers. The experiment was 0.03 second subliminal messages and the claims were outrageous!

James Vicary claimed that by flashing subliminal messages to the movie audience instructing them to purchase coca cola and popcorn that the sales of these products were significantly increased.

The Vicary study caused controversy from the outset. It caused concern in government which eventually bled to the general public. The panic created soon paved the way for a complete ban of subliminal messages from TV and radio in several countries!

Vicary admitted in 1957 that his findings had been fabricated but the phenomenon of subliminal messages still lives on. Why is this?

Maybe we can find some answers in experiments that were started as far back as 1957 by a government agency that has the resources and power to find out whether subliminal messages are effective or not!

While the battle raged over the effectiveness of

subliminal messages the CIA were quietly conducting their own research into the phenomenon!

As is probably obvious to you, the CIA wanted to learn whether or not they could use subliminal messages as a form of manipulation. In reports that have been declassified and released under the Freedom of Information Act we can read just how involved in this pursuit they were.

The CIA report, "The Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception", written in 1958 highlights some of their findings. In a 1980 article for High Times magazine Martin Lee states that a former CIA agent revealed that the agency committed themselves to discovering the effectiveness of subliminal messages in the manipulation of political outcomes!

In the declassified document, the CIA observed that it might be possible to include a subliminal message such as 'Obey'!

It is not known if the CIA ever concluded their investigations into subliminal messages, or even if it continues to this day. However, the use of subliminal messages in advertising is still prevalent! As an effective personal development tool the use of subliminal messages cannot be underestimated. Thousands of people use them daily to alter their behaviour, change beliefs and reprogram their minds for success.

For further information on subliminal messages and their effectiveness check out the resources below.

Subliminal - award winning subliminal products.

Subliminal Advertising - YouTube video showing subliminal advertisments on TV, in politics, cartoons and more. A must see!