A RECREATION OF VICARY'S FAMOUS 1957 SUBLIMINAL EXPERIMENT
So where and when did the use of subliminal messages start? The first recorded use of subliminal images to influence consumer behaviour was in 1957. In a cinema in New Jersey, James Vicary spliced the messages “Thirsty? Drink Coke” and “Eat Popcorn” into a movie called PICNIC. Each message was spliced into one frame every 6 seconds. This technique is called a subliminal cut. Over the six week period of the experiment the movie was seen by over 45,000 people. During that time Vicary claimed that the sales of popcorn went up by 18% and coke 58%.
So do subliminal messages work? After Vicary published the results of his experiment there was public outrage. This led to the CIA producing a secret report titled “The Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception”. Based on the report the USA, British and Australian Governments banned subliminal advertising. Now that ban is still in force but the original document - well parts of it - have been declassified. It contains some of the most compelling evidence that subliminal messages can be highly effective at changing attitudes, perceptions and behaviour. The report concludes that: “It has been demonstrated, certain individuals can at certain times and under certain circumstances be influenced to act abnormally without awareness of the influence”.
Experience the Vicary experiment. The movie clip above is a recreation of what James Vicary's audience would have experienced. The exact same movie Picnic made in 1955 has been altered in exactly the same way as the original would have been. If you watch the movie you'll be able to experience what the experiment was like for the moviegoers. When the clip is finished hit the “Let's find out” button to see how much you were influenced by the subliminal messages embedded in the movie.
Remember that the original audience would have had 90 times more exposure to the messages, so they are likely to have been much more effective. That said how does this make you feel? Did you see the messages as they flashed onto the screen? And more importantly how did they affect you? Do you now suddenly feel thirsty, or have a strange desire for popcorn?
So do subliminal messages work? After Vicary published the results of his experiment there was public outrage. This led to the CIA producing a secret report titled “The Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception”. Based on the report the USA, British and Australian Governments banned subliminal advertising. Now that ban is still in force but the original document - well parts of it - have been declassified. It contains some of the most compelling evidence that subliminal messages can be highly effective at changing attitudes, perceptions and behaviour. The report concludes that: “It has been demonstrated, certain individuals can at certain times and under certain circumstances be influenced to act abnormally without awareness of the influence”.
Experience the Vicary experiment. The movie clip above is a recreation of what James Vicary's audience would have experienced. The exact same movie Picnic made in 1955 has been altered in exactly the same way as the original would have been. If you watch the movie you'll be able to experience what the experiment was like for the moviegoers. When the clip is finished hit the “Let's find out” button to see how much you were influenced by the subliminal messages embedded in the movie.
Remember that the original audience would have had 90 times more exposure to the messages, so they are likely to have been much more effective. That said how does this make you feel? Did you see the messages as they flashed onto the screen? And more importantly how did they affect you? Do you now suddenly feel thirsty, or have a strange desire for popcorn?
THE CIA CONCLUDED THAT "INDIVIDUALS CAN BE INFLUENCED TO ACT ABNORMALLY"
