Do you feel persuaded by this advertisement?

Subliminal Messages • Information that may influence our behavior without our conscious awareness • Brief auditory or visual messages that are presented below the absolute threshold, that our chance of conscious perception is less than 50%

Types of Subliminal Messages • Image Flashing • Soft Sounds • Visual Embeds • Backmasking

Image Flashing Image flashed on a screen that our eyes sense but our brain does not consciously perceive •First known use was in 1957 at a movie theater, though results of “study” were later admitted to have been falsified

Image Flashing Examples

Soft Sounds • Second audio track that is much quieter than regular soundtrack • Used in stores, movies, and self-improvement tapes

Soft Sounds Example Listen to the soundtrack “below” the main part of the dialogue in Aladdin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QYYOuQGEp0

Visual Embeds • An image that you see but don’t perceive unless it is pointed out to you • Often used in advertisements

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered Visual Embeds Example Veni, Vidi, Vici = We Came, We Saw, We Conquered

Another Couple of Examples of Visual Embeds

Yet Another Example

And one more example of visual embeds…

And the last example of Visual Embeds

Backmasking • Hidden track only audible when music is played backwards • Controversy surrounds musical artists accused of backmasking

Examples of Backmasking Artist: Led Zeppelin Song: Black Dog Forward: Started tellin’ her friends she gonna be a star. Backward: Oh Satan want ya near bless my soul.

Artist: Rolling Stones Song: Tops Forward: I’m sorry for a breath of your sweet love. Backward: I love you, said the Devil.

Artist: Ozzy Osborne Song: Suicide Solution Forward: Get your gun and do it...shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot. Backward: When the last “shoot” is played backward it says Satan. (This song was blamed for causing suicides among teens.)

Backward: O Satan, O Satan, O Satan, O Satan Artist: Pokemon Song: The Pokemon Rap Forward: Gotta catch ‘em all, Gotta catch ‘em all, Gotta catch ‘em all, Gotta catch ‘em all, Backward: O Satan, O Satan, O Satan, O Satan

Artist: Led Zeppelin Song: Stairway To Heaven Forward: If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alone now, it’s just a spring clean for the May queen. Yes there are two paths you can go back, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on. Backward: Here's to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan. He’ll give you 666, there was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.

Artist: Michael Jackson Song: Beat It Forward: So beat it Backward: I do believe it was Satan in me

Backward: It’s fun to smoke marijuana ` Artist: Queen Song: Another One Bites The Dust Forward: Another one bites the dust Backward: It’s fun to smoke marijuana