Subliminal Messages in Advertising: Arguments for and Against Lisa Caswell Syracuse UniversityHead: Subliminal Messages Subliminal messages and subliminal perception are controversial topics in the field of psychology. Many studies have been conducted to determine whether subliminal messages and subliminal perception are controversial topics in the field of psychology. messaging actually works. Many people believe that subliminal messages in advertising are much more successful than subliminal messages intended for personal development, such as tapes sold to help the consumer lose weight, gain intelligence, or do something else. to improve simply by listening to a tape. . Subliminal advertising can be defined as “the embedding of material in print, audio, or video messages so weakly that they are not consciously perceived.” Rogers and Smith (1993) surveyed 400 households. When asked if they thought advertisers deliberately included subliminal messages, 61.5% said “yes.” A 72.2% “yes” response was obtained when asked if subliminal ads were effective. Based on these results, it can be concluded that consumers are aware of subliminal advertising and believe that it is used effectively by advertisers to influence their decisions. The term "subliminal effects", first popularized by Packard in 1957, preceded the popular notion of "subliminal advertising", originated by James Vicary. Subliminal advertising first gained public attention in 1957 when Jim Vicary carried out a subliminal advertising strategy. of “drink Coca-Cola” and “eat popcorn” messages interspersed across a movie screen so quickly that they could not be consciously seen by the audience. His research initially revealed an increase in sales of Coca-Cola and popcorn following subliminal messages. However, later when challenged and unable to replicate or even produce the results, Vicary admitted that the results of the original study had been fabricated (Weir, 1984). Key (1989) has more recently argued that hidden or embedded messages are widespread and effective. Key's theories have been widely discredited by researchers who have examined marketing applications scientifically (Moore, 1982). Although a few academic studies have reported some limited effects of exposure to subliminal stimuli in the laboratory (Greenwald, Klinger, & Liu, 1989), most academic researchers on the subject have reported results that indicate no practical or predictable in an advertising context (Dixon, 1971). The 1957 Vicary study was largely ignored by the scientific community due to the lack of scientific documentation of the methodology and the inability to replicate it. However, scientific discoveries and industry claims may have had little or no effect on the average American, who was exposed to popular articles and books promoting the idea that Subliminal advertising is used and effective. Additionally, Americans have been exposed to advertisements claiming that audio and video tapes containing subliminal material can help the purchaser lose weight, improve relationships, improve one's golf game, quit smoking, and even to control births. by the public