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Step 1
Identify the products that most often use subliminal advertising. These products are alcohol, cars, cigarettes, jewelry, and food. However, realize that subliminal ads are in all sorts of advertising, these are the most common products.
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Step 2
Read the ad like it was a book. Instead of just glancing at the ad, read the ad left to right and top to bottom. Often this will reveal some cues that indicate a subliminal advertisement.
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Step 3
Determine the type of the subliminal ad, is the message embedded, suggestive or overt. Embedded ads are hidden in the image and are harder to locate. Overt ads are clearly visible. Overt ads usually come via the text of the advertisement. Suggestive is an ad that for example may have an authority figure such as a man in a white smock advertising medicine.
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Step 4
Look for anything out place in advertisement. Observe the subtleties of an advertisement. Is there anything out of place in the ad? What are the people in ad doing? Are there any unusual shapes used in the ad? These are but some of the questions to ask while observing an advertisement.
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Step 5
Relax and take a deep breath. If a person looks too intently, they can miss the subliminal part of the advertisement. After all the subliminal ad is intended to affect the person who only glances at the advertisement.
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Step 6
Notice what first draws your attention on the advertisement. Subliminal ads are intended for the subconscious, so follow your first instinct.
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Step 7
Re-read the advertisement, but this time do it in reverse. Scan the ad from right to left and bottom to top.
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Step 8
Look at the advertisement upside down. A change in perception can reveal a subliminal advertisement.
