Boob Subliminal Messages Really Work?

17 replies
The CIA has banned words such as, "OBEY" and psychotropic over-stimulation in advertising mass-media such as the television. However savoy marketers have found a way to of course work this subtle command into their pieces. The CIA themselves have a report done in the 1960's that states, "...subliminal messages in marketing have shown to be more effective than traditional non-subliminal messages." Bottom line, subliminal marketing works better than non-subliminal marketing.

Following this line of thought down the rabbit hole we'll find all sorts of soft-sell subliminals all the way down shock-trauma and fear inducing marketing to sway the mass-mind and public opinion. The increasing decline in morality in the general population makes keeps raising the bar on what will shock an audience...

COKE, Pepsi, McDonalds, DISNEY, (all of Hollywood for that matter) are all provacaters of this technology. These are mutli-million dollar mega corporations and we should not turn a blind-eye to something 1) BANNED by the government, 2) Continually used by Billion-dollar public and privately owned corporations.

Personally, I have experimented with subliminal marketing with mixed results. Symbols, words, NLP commands, etc., that evoke a sexual feeling, convey authority, or outright attempt to tranceout the reader and put suggestions directly into the consciousness.

I'd love to hear some people's thoughts and thesis' on this line of thought... subliminal messaging.
#boob #messages #subliminal #work
  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    The CIA regulating advertising?

    Only a boob would buy that.

    I like boobs though.

    Brian
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  • Profile picture of the author Halestorm
    Let me rephrase, in 1974 the US government banned subliminal advertising in commercials because based on CIA research of human behavior modification via subliminal messaging.
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  • Profile picture of the author Halestorm
    "In recently released classified documents, now available under The Freedom Of Information Act, we see just how deeply involved and thorough the CIA were in researching the effectiveness of subliminal messages as a means of brain-washing.

    Under intense pressure from investigative journalists and Congressional Investigators, the CIA were forced to release a wide variety of documents which included some previous year's copies of their internal journal "Studies in Intelligence". In a 1958 journal CIA investigators reported their initial findings into subliminal persuasion in a report frighteningly titled "The Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception".

    In the excellent book by Martin A. Lee, a former agent with the CIA who remains unnamed tells of the CIA's commitment to investigate whether or not subliminal messages could be used to influence the outcome of a political campaign. They were especially interested in using of subliminals in this way on television and radio.

    In a January 17th 1958 declassified document, the CIA stated that it might be possible to include a subliminal message such as Obey' in their subliminal projection and added that subliminal messages had achieved success in commercial advertisements!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Collette
      Originally Posted by Halestorm View Post

      Stupid Disney, Coke, Pespsi.... buying into the CIA hype. They all should have just bought the $30 book, "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology".... the CIA could have saved millions just reading that book! Sheesh, to think!

      Since the CIA research and findings you're referring to (and using to substantiate your premise) were all released in 1958, and Dr. Lilienfeld published "50 Myths..." in 2009, it would have been extremely difficult for the CIA, or anyone else you cited to have read Lilienfield's book.

      Unless they had cracked the secret of time travel.

      However, you are not burdened by such constraints. If you're truly interested in this field of research, I highly recommend the book.

      My personal perspective is that there is nothing very subliminal about much of today's advertising. When McDonald's shows a soccer mom taking her 2.2 rosy-cheeked, well-scrubbed kids to eat trans-fat-laden fast food, and declares "I'm lovin' it!", or a Ford shows universially beautiful and sexy 20-somethings zipping down Rodeo Drive in a shiny red Fiesta... there's nothing "subliminal" about that.

      Do you have an example of the kind of "subliminal" control you posit that you believe is working today?
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    A lot of people get the CIA and the FTC mixed up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zentech
    "Subliminal messaging" is not the same thing as subconscious marketing. The latter is based on a variety of effective techniques that engage the subconscious mind in various ways and make the reader more amenable to buying.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
      Scott O. Lilienfeld who wrote 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior had a chapter about subliminal advertisting being ineffective.

      The book bursts so many myths it would make members of the "Mind Warriors" forum cry.
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      • Profile picture of the author Halestorm
        Stupid Disney, Coke, Pespsi.... buying into the CIA hype. They all should have just bought the $30 book, "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology".... the CIA could have saved millions just reading that book! Sheesh, to think!
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
    Back in the 60s and 70s, Freudian psychology was huge.

    These days, most psychologists accept that although Freud was important historically, a lot of his ideas were wrong.

    We've learned a lot over the last 50 years.

    And just because a big corporation does it doesn't mean it works. They try new things, like anyone else.

    The fact is no one really knows HOW the human mind works - it's all just educated guesswork.

    And when you start taking those guesses as irrefutable fact, things can get pretty damn messy.

    -Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonspurlock
    "OBEY your thirst." -- Sprite

    (sorry. that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read that.)

    I guess that's a good proof, however, that what you're writing is bunk. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Hill
    This is an interesting ongoing debate, and one that has passionate arguments on both sides of the fence. And passionate people, of course, can find "evidence" to support whatever position they are in favor of.

    First we'd have to define exactly what the OP is referring to as "subliminal messaging." And as Zentech pointed out, that's not the same thing as subconscious marketing, as used in well-known books like Ca$hvertising, The Brain Audit, Cialdini's books, and Brainfluence. It even applies to books like The Irresistible Offer, which isn't overtly about subconscious marketing, but uses many of the same principles.

    And those principles, not surprisingly, are often about common sense. With a little basic understanding of the psychology of persuasion (and the underlying human response mechanisms behind reciprocation, authority, commitment/consistency, scarcity, liking, and social proof), it's clear that certain behaviors will usually result in generally predictable reactions. As such, they can be utilized in marketing.

    An interesting book written from a wary point of view is called "Coercion - Why We Listen to What "They" Say" by Douglas Rushkoff. It extends far beyond marketing (such as the 1980's CIA psychwar manual used in Central American conflicts, based on (among other things), tribal superstitions). The book takes a close look at how subconscious manipulation is used in society today. It's used in many areas people don't often think about, such as floor plans in malls and casinos, designed to make us lose our bearings.

    But back to marketing and the OP's question. Does subconscious manipulation work in marketing? Judiciously used and based on a collective ad population, it appears to show favorable results over time, especially when contrasted with uninformed marketing. It can't make anyone do something they don't want to do, but it can help them to take action, or tip the scales, as it were.

    It's not a simple matter of magic woo-woo juice, sprinkling magic words in your copy, or trying to get your prospect to nod his head or say yes, but IMO, serious students of subconscious marketing (or perhaps a more acceptable term would be persuasive marketing) would find it to be useful in creating effective advertising. There's just too much scientific and anecdotal evidence of effectiveness to ignore.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
    Something to test in your next video script:

    My pal Hans Klein inserts a single frame of male nipple right before the value build. Says he read the trick in Collier.

    --- Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author Pusateri
    Years ago I read a book called Subliminal Seduction. It seemed the author saw boobs and penises in every ad he examined.

    Completely forgot about it until I saw this in the yogurt case a while back:

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    • Profile picture of the author videolover7
      Carlton tells a story he heard from Halbert...

      An accountant ran an ad in his local newspaper for years. One time he included a picture of a woman in a bikini without making any reference to it in the ad. Response jumped dramatically.

      On Facebook, ads with smiling pictures of pretty, young women increase response.

      Fact is, both men and women are more likely to respond to an ad that's accompanied by these type of pictures.

      VL
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      • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
        Banned
        Even the weather is getting in on the act...



        Mind Game #1 Subliminal Advertising...


        Mentalist Derren Brown from the UK subliminally hoodwinks two UK advertising executives...


        Even McDonald's are at it with the tagline - I'm Lovin' It - a mighty fine pair of jugs if ever I clapped eyes on a pair...



        One or two of you might enjoy reading this although it's not exactly an authority on the subject...

        Subliminal Manipulation

        Flashed up in milliseconds subliminal messages btw work best when trying to make a strong appeal to our primal instincts such as sex or fear. This plays straight into the flight or fight complex.

        Instilling a fear based subconscious emotion for example is far more likely to generate a response over and above using subliminal messages for example to create feelings of happiness and contentment. Unless it's related to sex which understandably is another story altogether.

        Skittles anyone?




        Mark Andrews


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  • Profile picture of the author roadywreck
    Subliminal meanings blew the sh*t out of me!

    But I think this some kind of a strategy and attract traffic to

    desire product they wanted to promote!

    I saw websites that has subliminal meaning in their banner etc. That looks weird.
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