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People receive a number of messages every single day from just about anyone and anything. For instance, when people see a No Smoking sign in a public place, it is a message that they will consciously receive. This means that these people know that they are being told not to smoke within the area. However, there are many times when people receive messages unconsciously. These messages are called subliminal messages. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word subliminal to be the things that can influence a person’s mind unnoticeably (“Subliminal”). Subliminal messages are used in several ways in order to create psychological impact to its recipients.
One of the ways in which subliminal messages are used is through songs. However, there seems to be no scientific research done to reveal the reasons behind the subliminal messages in the songs. For instance, the famous band, Beatles, discovered “backmasking” during 1965 when they were doing their album called Rubber Soul (MacDonald). In fact, Beatles was the first artists who made “backmasking” popular. “Backmasking” is the process of reversely recording a message, specifically a song. According to John Lennon, as related by the Rolling Stone Magazine, the end of their single entitled Rain was recorded backwards and that they used the process for a “little extra gimmick” (qtd. in MacDonald). It was after that period when rumours and accusations regarding the real purpose of “backmasking” began to spread. Many people believe that some artists use “backmasking” to spread inappropriate subliminal messages to the public, but no valid evidence have been used to prove this claim. Judas Priest, a British heavy-metal band formed in 1960’s was one of the artists who have been accused of using subliminal messages in their song to negatively influence the public’s behaviour. It was during 1985 when two Nevada young men, Belknap and Vance, committed suicide by shooting themselves, and the act was attributed to the subliminal messages in the band’s song (Rohter). Although Vance was severely injured, he survived and lived for 3 more years before he died of another cause. In fact, he offered a written testimony as part of the preliminary hearing of the case against Judas Priest. ''I believe that alcohol and heavy-metal music such as Judas Priest led us to be mesmerized,'' Vance stated (qtd. in Rohter). Because there was no strong evidence to support the case, the judge concluded that Judas Priest was not responsible for what happened to Belknap and Vance. Perhaps the real purpose in using subliminal messages in songs may have not been scientifically investigated, but it is indeed being used in the music industry for the purpose that only the producers know.
Aside from the music industry, subliminal messages can be used by just about any organization in order to influence the public – including the broadcasting industry. In 1920’s, the British Broadcasting Industry started to broadcast through the radio. It was not a popular medium at that time, so BBC thought that they would need to do something to change the attitude of the people towards radio. In order to do this, BBC used subliminal messages in their jingles. When played backwards, the jingle reveals a message that states “This is not a noose, no really it’s not” (“History”). Although it has not been scientifically determined whether the subliminal message served its purpose, BBC remains as a strong broadcasting entity until today.
Among the most widely studied use of subliminal messages relate to the field of advertising. Many experts and group of individuals believe that advertisers use subliminal messages to persuade the public to support and patronize their products. For instance, in 1973, an advertisement for board game called Hūsker Dū was aired with inserted frames that read “Get It” (Rossen). The act was later admitted by the manufacturing company, which was condemned by the Federal Commissions Commission. Other product advertisements have been reported to use subliminal message. These include McDonald’s, and Marlboro (Rossen). Prior to the proliferation of subliminal messages in advertisements, studies have already been conducted to investigate its potential effects. In 1957, James Vicary, a market researcher investigated the effects of subliminal advertising. He inserted the words “Eat Popcorn” and “Drink Coca-Cola” into a movie, and the results supposedly showed an 18.1 percent increase in the sales of Coca-Cola and also a significant increase in the sales of popcorn (Love). Although the results were later revealed to be hoax, the possible effects of subliminal messages continue to interest many researchers. In this 1999, a study on the same subject was conducted by the Harvard University researchers. S computer game players were subjected to positive (e.g., wise, astute, and accomplished) and negative words (e.g., senile, dependent, and diseased) without them noticing (Love). Based on the findings, the players who were subjected to positive words left the room in a much faster movement than their counterpart (Love). In an attempt to further investigate whether subliminal messages work in advertisements to influence the audience’s behaviour, another study was conducted in 2006. With the use of “strict laboratory conditions’ together with other necessary limiting factors, social psychologists Johan Karremans, Wolfgang Stroebe, and Jasper Claus investigated the effectiveness of subliminal advertising (“Does Subliminal”). Their findings suggests that subliminal message do work but with limitations. Specifically, the technique of using subliminal messages in marketing ads is “only effective with products that people knew of and somewhat liked (“Does Subliminal”). However, no other attempts were done in order to replicate the same study without the strict controls that were present in the laboratory.
Subliminal messages creates psychological impact as it reaches the brains of the target audience. Some researchers found out that people tend to record images in the brain even without the awareness of its perception, and this is why the United Kingdom have banned the use of subliminal advertising as they perceive it to be a form of consumer deception (Jha). Despite this, another research suggests that it can only be effectively absorbed if the brain is not too busy. According to Bahador Bahrami, a neuroscientist from the University College London, the absorption of subliminal messages depends on the level of attention of the recipients and it is not absorbed automatically, which means that “"If the brain is busy it can filter out those subliminal things" (Jha). The other aspects that may contribute to the absorption of subliminal messages is yet to be uncovered.
Overall, the use of subliminal messages has been a topic of interest for many researchers for many years. In addition, many speculations have been made about it, especially the role that it plays in the media. With regards to the music and television industry, the use of subliminal messages are often associated with negative purposes, although no concrete evidence have really been proven. The use of subliminal messages became even more popular within the advertising industry as it is said to be a good strategy to increase product sales. Although some companies deny the use of subliminal advertising, others were honest enough to admit it, including the manufacturer of the board game Hūsker Dū. Because the extent of the effects of subliminal messages has not been fully understood, perhaps the level of its effectiveness will continue to be a secret to be unfold.
Works Cited
“Does Subliminal Advertising Actually Work?” BBC News. BBC, 20 January 2015. Web. 15 May 2016.
“History.” University of Michigan. University of Michigan, n.d. . Web. 15 May 2016.
Jha, Alok. “Brain Absorbs Subliminal Messages – If Not Too Busy.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 9 March 2007. Web. 15 May 2016
Love, Dylan. “The Shocking Drink and Incredible Coke History of Subliminal Advertising.” Business Insider. Business Insider Inc., 26 May 2011.
MacDonald, Fiona. “The Hidden Messages in Songs.” BBC. BBC, 21 October 2014. Web. 15 May 2016.
Rohter, Larry. “2 Families Sue Heavy-Metal Band As Having Driven Sons to Suicide.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 July 1990. Web. 15 May 2016.
Rossen, Jake. “7 Sneaky Subliminal Messages Hidden in Ads.” Mental_Floss. Mental Floss, Inc., 12 August 2015. Web. 15 May 2016.
Works Cited
“Subliminal.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2015. Web. 14 May 2016.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sold/201406/subliminal-ads-unconscious-influence-and-consumption
