In the 1950s, a market researcher named James Vicary revealed a startling experiment he’d undertaken. At a small-town New Jersey cinema, he secretly directed the projectionist to flash messages like “Eat popcorn” and “Drink Coca-Cola” for fractions of a second during what seemed to be an uninterrupted film. Vicary claimed these subliminal cues, imperceptible to the audience, boosted popcorn sales by nearly 60% and Coke sales by 18% at the concession stands.
Although Vicary later admitted the experiment results were fabricated, it ignited decades of debate, conspiracies, and fascination with the mysterious frontiers of unconscious perception. More subtle techniques of subliminal advertising have since become a multibillion-dollar force in modern marketing—often operating beyond the normal limits of consumers’ conscious awareness.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is subliminal advertising?
Subliminal advertising is a supposed method of delivering marketing messages below the threshold of conscious perception. A subliminal message is essentially a hidden message—visual or auditory stimuli designed to bypass conscious detection, subtly influencing the audience without them realizing it.
The goal of subliminal messages is to heighten the appeal of a product or service by shaping thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the subconscious mind.
Is subliminal advertising legal?
The legal status of subliminal advertising in the US is nuanced. To start, it’s important to distinguish between true subliminal messaging and advertising that uses subliminal elements:
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True subliminal messaging involves the planting of hidden ideas in unrelated content—like urging moviegoers to buy more popcorn during the showing of Star Wars (a real-life Jedi mind trick).
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Advertising that uses subliminal elements relies on subtle stimuli designed to trigger subconscious feelings or reactions, like the use of red in McDonald’s advertising, which can evoke both excitement and urgency.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued guidance discouraging the use of subliminal advertising on broadcast television and radio, considering it deceptive. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) likewise hasn’t explicitly banned subliminal advertising, but addresses it under its broader rules against deceptive practices.
The FTC’s Truth in Advertising rules require that:
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Advertising is truthful and non-deceptive
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Advertisers back up their claims with evidence
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Advertisements are fundamentally fair
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Disclosures are included to make ads accurate, clear, and conspicuous
Many countries, like the UK and Australia have taken stronger stances than the US, with explicit laws banning Vicary-style subliminal advertising. In practice, major companies generally avoid true subliminal messaging due to the civil liability risks (e.g., false advertising lawsuits) and ethical considerations.
That said, subtle psychological marketing techniques aim to access consumers’ subconscious minds without raising the same ethical red flags as true subliminal advertising.
Does subliminal advertising actually work?
The original movie theater experiment by James Vicary was debunked when he later admitted to fabricating the results. However, controlled research since then has shown subliminal advertising has limited effects, far less dramatic than Vicary or popular myths claim.
For instance, a 2006 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that subliminal exposure to the iced tea brand name Lipton Ice slightly influenced subjects’ choice of drink—but only if participants were already thirsty. These findings suggest that hidden messages can amplify existing needs, but they can’t create new ones.
Similarly, a study conducted by French researchers at the École Normale Supérieure found that while human brains may process subliminal stimuli at some level, the effect on the conscious mind and decision-making is likely minimal. Behavioral scientists agree that traditional advertising, where messages are clear and the consumer can consciously process them, remains far more effective.
Ethical subliminal advertising strategies
- Color theory
- Emotional appeals
- Repetition
- Music and sound effects
- Hidden codes and symbols
- Phonetic branding
Traditional advertising techniques can include subtle, ethical elements that enhance the overall message and comply with the Truth in Advertising rules set by the FTC and other regulators. Such techniques include:
Color theory
Color psychology plays an important role in subliminal marketing, with brands openly using specific hues to tap into consumers’ natural emotional associations. Colors—particularly in a logo or packaging—are carefully chosen to reflect brand values and evoke desired customer responses.
For example, banks like Chase use deep blues to convey stability and trustworthiness; coffee brands use browns and greens to suggest earthiness, warmth, and natural origins.
Emotional appeals
Tapping into fundamental human emotions can be a powerful subliminal advertising technique.
For example, Purina leverages the deep emotional bonds between humans and their pets to sell dog food. Dawn dish soap famously shows its products being used to clean oil-covered wildlife (often baby ducks) after spills, evoking empathy, concern, hope, and even guilt.
Repetition
Repeating a message, an image, or a motif in an ad can increase the chance that it will embed in the viewer’s subconscience and possibly shape their behavior.
For example, insurance businesses often repetitively use familiar characters across advertisements—think Jake from State Farm, Flo from Progressive, or the Geico gecko. Repeated slogans can have a similar effect: “Just do it.” “Because you’re worth it.” “Taste the rainbow.” “America runs on Dunkin’.”
Music and sound effects
Music and sound effects are among the most widely used subliminal advertising techniques, as audio can be one of the more powerful forces in influencing thoughts and feelings.
For example, licensing nostalgic popular songs for ads can evoke warm memories and brand trust. Even everyday sounds can have an impact—TV ads for cars often use the sound of a revving engine to suggest power and speed.
Hidden codes and symbols
A brand might cleverly use camouflaged letters, shapes, and symbols to convey a subtle message.
For example, a hot wings restaurant chain might use a graphic where the letters “B” and “Q” form a repeated background pattern in a TV ad, triggering a subconscious association with “barbecue.” Ecommerce and shipping companies, like Amazon or FedEx, often use horizontal, rightward-pointing arrows in logos and other promotional imagery to imply forward motion and speed.
Phonetic branding
Phonetic branding relies on phonetic symbolism—the power of sounds to suggest certain attributes and features.
Examples include a hard “K” or “C” sound to suggest strength or hardness, à la Kindle, Kodak, or Nike; a soft “S” sound to suggest smoothness or luxury, like Silk-brand soy milk, or Mercedes-Benz; or “B” sounds to suggest bigness and boldness—think Burger King or Boeing.
Examples of subliminal advertising
To really understand how ethical subliminal advertising techniques work, it helps to see them in action. Here are a three real-world examples of advertising campaigns that use ethical, emulatable subliminal elements:
Google’s “Loretta” ad
Google aired a 2020 Super Bowl commercial featuring an elderly man using Google Assistant to help him remember details about his late wife, Loretta, from photos and even the sound of her laugh.
The ad works emotionally on multiple levels: It taps into feelings of love and loss through the story of a widower holding on to memories, while also offering hope and comfort by showing how technology can preserve cherished moments.
Verizon’s “Can you hear me now? Good!” ad
Verizon Wireless created one of the most memorable ad campaigns of the early 2000s with its “Can you hear me now? Good!” slogan. For years, the same actor repeated the line, turning it into one of the most quoted ad catchphrases of the decade.
At the same time, by repeating the same six words in each ad, with the actor situated in different environments, it conveyed Verizon’s reliability as a phone carrier, with supposedly crystal-clear reception in even the remotest locations. (The actor Paul Marcarelli became so closely linked with the campaign that he was later hired to promote a competitor, Sprint, in a 2016 commercial that heavily referenced the original Verizon ad.)
THX’s theater sound
Movie theaters outfitted with THX screening and stereo technology use its signature “Deep Sound Note” to connote premium audio quality. It plays before feature films showcased in THX-certified movie theaters across the US, and has become nearly synonymous with the movie-going experience.
The motif has been imitated by competitors—like Netflix’s famous “ta-dum” sound, which plays when you open the app.
Subliminal advertising FAQ
Is subliminal advertising illegal in the US?
While regulators in the US haven’t banned true subliminal advertising outright, their rules on honest advertising effectively prohibit the use of true subliminal messaging tactics. And while US advertisers may not face criminal repercussions for using true subliminal messaging, they could face costly consumer lawsuits. You can still use certain subliminal techniques, like color or sound, intended to influence subconscious reactions without being considered deceptive. These practices are generally legal.
Are subliminal ads effective?
Research suggests that while traditional subliminal ads could amplify existing needs or preferences, our brains are more responsive to subtle prompts that evoke emotions, rather than direct calls to act or buy.
How are subliminal ads used?
True subliminal advertisements are considered dishonest, can open an advertiser up to regulatory scrutiny and legal liability, and are therefore not widely used in the US. But legitimate, ethical subliminal elements in advertising are frequently used. Common examples include the use of repetitive jingles or characters in television commercials, like Liberty Mutual’s “Liberty, Liberty, Liberty!” jingle, or the many cartoon mascots of Kellogg’s cereal brands.