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March 27, 2007
The Great Subliminal Film Hoax
Check out the film trailer for my new book.
You won't see any subliminal messages in there. Here's why:
Marketing researcher James Vicary claimed that when he flashed ...
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Drink Coca-Cola! and Eat Popcorn! |
... on New Jersey movie screens at a rate faster than the eye could see that he increased Coke and popcorn sales by 57.5%.
The story was recounted in books like "The Hidden Persuaders" and "Subliminial Seduction."
It even led to a US FCC ban on "subliminal advertising."
But, marketers have had trouble reproducing his results.
Why?
'Cuz it was all a hoax. Vicary admitted in 1962 that he falsified his results.
Yet still to this day self-help gurus recount this story as gospel - often in conjunction with subliminal success tapes that are designed to "tap the power of your subconscious mind."
There are many subtle ways marketers are persuading people that definitely do work, though. Some of them definitely are invisible - but only to the untrained eye.
Check out that trailer for a few clues.