How to Use Subliminal Messages in Advertising

Subliminal messages work by bombarding the reader with more information than he can possibly analyze at once. Television and banner advertisements that use quick editing techniques, and magazine advertisements, which have busy graphic designs, can convey covert messages to the consumer. For example, the overt message might be a simple image and a slogan, but the subliminal message might communicate sex, affordability or other positive messages.

Instructions

1. Create an overt advertisement. The advertisement should convey the information about the product that your marketers think is important. In a recent television campaign, Verizon has made claims about the wide access to its phone network, suggesting that AT&T does not match it.

2. Decide on a subliminal message that would tie in with the marketing campaign. The subliminal and overt messages should be consistent but not explicitly overlap. The subliminal message can provide new information which complements the overt message.

3. Embed a word or an image into the advertisement. Since Alcohol, clothing, and body products are marketed as “sexy,” you could embed the word sex or sexual imagery into the advertisement.

4. Coordinate between the background and foreground. For instance, in a banner advertisement circulated by Microsoft, the background featured the dollar-sign symbol ($) in shades of blue, and the foreground had the phrase “For as Little as 1/3 the cost of Unix.” If you misread the foreground and the background, you might misread it as “For as Little as 1/3 the cost of Sun.” Since Sun Microsystems is a competitor to Microsoft, this could be a useful idea for Microsoft to circulate.

5. Edit the advertisement so that the consumer will not be able to rationally analyze it. If the advertisement is not frenetic enough, he might be able to break it down quickly. If it’s a television advertisement, you should use a fast, MTV-style edit. For magazine articles, you should use a busy, distracting layout.

References

• Classroom Tools: Sex and Death Among the Ice Cubes: Subliminal Messages in Advertising
• The Sublime: Other Subliminals