Subliminal Advertising

[truethat]

Recently I've been taking the train to work in the city and have notice quite a few Jameson Irish Whiskey ads. The style of advertising on some of the trains here is to take over a whole subway car with one ad. So this green ad was all over the place.

I found myself drawn to this picture of a glass of whiskey. I can't find a picture of it online that is large enough to see, but here is the website. Go to advertising, print.

http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/

The glass of whiskey seems strange to me, looking at it closely it doesn't look like a regular glass with ice in it but rather a complex series of images overlaid to draw attention.

I'm curious about the idea of subliminal advertising. I heard a few things about it but nothing recently. Although I did find this one Absolute Ad that I thought was interesting.

http://encefalus.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/subliminal.gif


Curious. Does anyone have any ideas about this kind of thing?

[quarky]

I've noticed that people prefer cheap/rot-gut vodka in an Absolut bottle, over the cheap stuff in its own bottle...unless they find out the truth.

[drkitten]

I'm curious about the idea of subliminal advertising. I heard a few things about it but nothing recently. Although I did find this one Absolute Ad that I thought was interesting.

My understanding is that subliminal advertising simply doesn't work; even in a controlled (lab) setting, the best psychologists can do is produce an extremely contrived situation with an extremely minor effect.

But it's a great way to whip people up into hysterics by accusing your opponents of doing it.

[tkingdoll]

If you search the forum for 'subliminal advertising' you will find plenty of info.

[JohnG]

Although I did find this one Absolute Ad that I thought was interesting.


I don't see anything. Then again I could never find Waldo, either.

One of my High School teachers was obsessed with this stuff and devoted quite a bit of time to it in class. I personally think a lot of it is just pareidolia.

[truethat]

I thought so too until I looked at the Jameson Whiskey ads, to me the ice cubes in the glass are manipulated with images. Ice doesn't look like that when photographed.

[Terry]

I thought so too until I looked at the Jameson Whiskey ads, to me the ice cubes in the glass are manipulated with images. Ice doesn't look like that when photographed.

They don't usually photograph ice, it melts too quickly. It's probably stuff like this (http://www.organize.com/diicefaiceac.html?gclid=CICdzvjqrJkCFRxNagodvEAgJg ).

[JimBenArm]

How about sublingual advertising?

Or subdermal advertising?

Or best of all, submarine advertising?

[JoeTheJuggler]

Curious. Does anyone have any ideas about this kind of thing?
I think it's a parody ad poking fun at the various books on subliminal advertising.

And that's the Absolut Truth.

[Cuddles]

have notice[d]

It would only be subliminal if you didn't notice it. That's just perfectly ordinary advertising.

[JohnG]

They don't usually photograph ice, it melts too quickly. It's probably stuff like this (http://www.organize.com/diicefaiceac.html?gclid=CICdzvjqrJkCFRxNagodvEAgJg ).


Right. They run into the same sorts of issues when photographing ice cream. It takes a long time to set up a shot and with all those hot lights anything frozen would lose its charm rather quickly. They use artificial material for the ice cream that won't change its appearance due to time and/or temperature.

[truethat]

You know I knew this and forgot it........durh.

[quarky]

Are huge breasts subliminal? In an add for food?
Where is the line drawn?
When it reaches a conscious level?

[Horatius]

Or best of all, submarine advertising?



Why do you hate the Navy?

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?postid=4528599#post4528599



Yes, I know.

[defaultdotxbe]

It would only be subliminal if you didn't notice it. That's just perfectly ordinary advertising.
exactly, they put the idea of subliminal advertising to get people interested

i bet they get people staring at that absolut ad for hours on end trying to find the subliminal aspects of it (if there even are any) same with jameson putting images in the ice, they get people staring at the ad for a long time, which is pretty much the primary goal of an ad

its not subliminal advertising, its just good advertising

[Whiplash]

Right. They run into the same sorts of issues when photographing ice cream. It takes a long time to set up a shot and with all those hot lights anything frozen would lose its charm rather quickly. They use artificial material for the ice cream that won't change its appearance due to time and/or temperature.

"Well, we have 28,000 cubic feet of Wintrex, which is a new white foam rubber which actually on screen looks more like snow than snow..."

[JohnG]

"Well, we have 28,000 cubic feet of Wintrex, which is a new white foam rubber which actually on screen looks more like snow than snow..."


Great! Even better!

[alfaniner]

I got interested in subliminal advertising around the time Joe Camel became very popular. I started looking closely at cigarette ads (billboards in particular), and found lots of great examples. Billboards are designed to be seen for a few seconds at most, and whatever's there has to make an immediate impact. I had only just started taking photos of some of them when billboard tobacco advertising became illegal.

Then I examined the cig ads that were placed weekly in TV Guide, and found some subtle (and not so subtle) imagery there as well. At first I thought it was just coincidence or pareidolia (I didn't know the word at the time, but knew the concept), but finding something in nearly every cigarette ad made me think there was something to it.

[truethat]

Yeah Joe Camel's penis face is pretty obvious but what else did you see?

[defaultdotxbe]

I got interested in subliminal advertising around the time Joe Camel became very popular. I started looking closely at cigarette ads (billboards in particular), and found lots of great examples. Billboards are designed to be seen for a few seconds at most, and whatever's there has to make an immediate impact. I had only just started taking photos of some of them when billboard tobacco advertising became illegal.

Then I examined the cig ads that were placed weekly in TV Guide, and found some subtle (and not so subtle) imagery there as well. At first I thought it was just coincidence or pareidolia (I didn't know the word at the time, but knew the concept), but finding something in nearly every cigarette ad made me think there was something to it.
well the idea behind subliminal advertising is that you dont notice it, i think it applied mainly to TV and movie ads (where they would insert frames displayed too fast for the conscious mind to see, but the unconscious would remember it) and thats actually illegal in the US but its also been proven to the ineffective as the subconscious wouldnt become aware of anything the conscious mind didnt process (or something to that effect)

as i said before, i dont thing its subliminal adsvertising, just good advertiding, since it gets you to look at it for extended periods of time

[steve s]

Yeah Joe Camel's penis face is pretty obvious but what else did you see?

There's always Erect Man on the pack of cigs. It's not very clear in this pic, but look at an actual pack and it's pretty obvious.

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_815449c1e0fb53a2e.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=15730)

Steve S

[Foolmewunz]

Gee, I always thought the Absolut ad was just a play on words. Sublime... Subliminal...

Maybe I'm too innocent for the grown up boards.

[truethat]

Actually if you look at the words in the ice cubes in the Vodka glass it seems like they are having fun.

Steve S I meant what other cigarette brands used subliminals.


exactly, they put the idea of subliminal advertising to get people interested

i bet they get people staring at that absolut ad for hours on end trying to find the subliminal aspects of it (if there even are any) same with jameson putting images in the ice, they get people staring at the ad for a long time, which is pretty much the primary goal of an ad

its not subliminal advertising, its just good advertising

I agree with this, I don't think that they are doing it to manipulate just to make people look closer.

[Aidoneus]

Subliminal advertising is all paranoia.

Now, I must go, I really fancy some whisky...

[alfaniner]

In the print ads I noticed it because of my experience in photography and art, and I felt something was a bit "off". The lighting, composition, negative space, and color schemes were odd for a high-paying advertising campaign to just let slip through. So I started looking closer.

(might be considered NSFW, especially if viewed from a distance)
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/17149c25a957cc57.jpg

The extracts are unenhanced, and only two examples of many I've found in the print ads. Of course I may just be imagining it, but some amazing things can be done with Photoshop nowadays.

[JohnG]

Sometimes a cigarette ad is just a cigarette ad:p

[truethat]

Someone bit his penis!!! Oh no!

[truethat]

Subliminal advertising is all paranoia.

Now, I must go, I really fancy some whisky...

LMAO! :whistling

[Steelmage]

Here is a better image of the pic:

http://absolutad.com/absolut_lists/ads/pictures/?id=1703&_s=ads

If you noticed hidden behind the ice cubes there is the words Absolut Volka.

[steve s]

And who can forget the infamous Pepsi sex can?

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_815449c2a7d0f3b7d.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=15741)

Steve S

[Red3]

Right. They run into the same sorts of issues when photographing ice cream. It takes a long time to set up a shot and with all those hot lights anything frozen would lose its charm rather quickly. They use artificial material for the ice cream that won't change its appearance due to time and/or temperature.

In years gone by they used mash potato.

Is the Britney Spears song, "If you seek amy" a subliminal? Or just a controversial marketing ploy? What constitutes a "subliminal" image... Is it down to the intent of the designer/writer?

[Eddie Dane]

I'm reading Buyology by Landstrom at the moment. He covers this in some detail.

Inserting frames in film or TV doesn't do dick, but there was a public outcry against the practice and the US authorities made it illegal in the fifties.

What does work however is the following:
No longer being allowed to advertise freely, Marlboro invests in hip cafe's that are decorated in read/white. And on the flat screens their are images of cowboys and such.

Research showed that smokers are more inclined to smoke when exposed to such an environment, more then after watching a Marlboro ad.

The reason? Apparently people drop their defences when their is no logo in sight, but the message is still there.

And any number of variations on this method (selling sturdy clothes under the Marlboro label, sponsoring a ralley etc.) I think this qualifies as subliminal advertising.

[truethat]

Very Interesting!

[Eddie Dane]

Very Interesting!

Lindstrom does research in the field of neuro marketing.

Meaning that instead of asking people questions about their responses, they hook people up to brain scan equipment and expose them to advertising, product placement, sponsoring.

Then they check if memory, pleasure centres etc are activated in the brain.

The results are surprising to say the least. For instance: the warnings on the cigarette packs cause a stronger urge to smoke than the actual advertising.

Nobody will ever say that in a survey, but the data is there.

And more stuff like that. I'm only halfway the book, but I highly recommend it.

[Orphia Nay]

Inserting frames in film or TV doesn't do dick, but there was a public outcry against the practice and the US authorities made it illegal in the fifties.

Yep. See here: http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp


What does work however is the following:
No longer being allowed to advertise freely, Marlboro invests in hip cafe's that are decorated in read/white. And on the flat screens their are images of cowboys and such.

Research showed that smokers are more inclined to smoke when exposed to such an environment, more then after watching a Marlboro ad.

The reason? Apparently people drop their defences when their is no logo in sight, but the message is still there.

And any number of variations on this method (selling sturdy clothes under the Marlboro label, sponsoring a ralley etc.) I think this qualifies as subliminal advertising.

I think it's better to call it neuro marketing to distinguish it from subliminal advertising which conjures up the idea of inserting frames into advertisements which doesn't work. Interesting post.

[Eddie Dane]

Notice how all these examples are from tobacco brands?

The weird thing is that these huge and rich brands are now seriously restricted in the way that they can advertise their products.

So it is the tobacco companies that experiment most with these new methods.

I have noticed one thing though: all the neuro marketing they do is about feeding the public their colors and images (cowboys, ralleys) that are already associated with their brands. These associations have been build with traditional advertising.

You cannot do it from scratch.

Look at the British cigarette brand Silk Cut.
As soon as they saw that in the future cigarette advertising would be restricted, they started building their advertisements around the theme of purple silk.

Now they cannot use their logo anymore, but the use images of purple silk in all their communications.

Have a look: http://images.google.nl/images?hl=nl&q=silk+cut&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=F17XSdGkLJav-AbN1NjKBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

[truethat]

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/meet-a-nym/?apage=2

Interesting article.

[Checkmite]

I never got that - the whole "subliminal" advertising thing, insofar as the "image shown for a fraction of a second" part goes. How is only seeing an image for a fraction of a second supposed to influence you more than seeing the same image long enough to consciously understand it? That's like homeopathic psychology.

[alfaniner]

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/meet-a-nym/?apage=2

Interesting article.

I think they missed the most obvious visual metaphor for the "bone" in that article. It's blatantly a penis, very much like one of the Tool band logos.

[Eddie Dane]

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/meet-a-nym/?apage=2

Interesting article.

Cool article, but I think the point of their campaigns is not to convey deeper meaning or symbolism.And to have these absorbed subconsciously.

I think all it has to do is be weird, clever and make people think about the brand. just to make the connection.