Advertisements have become one of the central cores of marketing. Currently, the general population might agree that the definition of advertisements is a form of promoting awareness to the general public of a particular product or service. However, marketers have found a new strategic use for advertising through the use of “subliminal messages”. For those who do not know what that term means, subliminal messages are messages that are embedded in advertisements and are designed to carry a message to the sub-conscious mind without the viewer noticing.
This article brings up one good example of a theatre located in New Jersey who implemented a single subliminal message with words containing “Drink Coca – Cola” and “Eat popcorn” within a fraction of a second while the movie was playing (note that viewers cannot spot this image). As a result after 6 months, the theatre experienced increased sales in both Coke and popcorn. Though however, is this “marketing strategy” really ethical?
From my own prospective, the use of subliminal messages within advisements is completely unethical. There are of course many reasons why to support this claim; the obvious one would be that it stripes away consumer choice. Anybody can choose to ignore all forms of advertisements despite after being exposed to it, however, subliminal messaging alleviates this issue due to its’ unnoticeable aspect. Nobody can tell for sure whether or not they are being affected or influenced by such a method.
In addition, would this have an affect to our youth population as they are constantly exposed to such advertisements?
Image taken from Social Puma
There are many posters and commercials out there that contain subliminal messages about sex. Could this also be an issue as well? Will it have an effect on human behavior? Could it possibly change our morals and values?
Citations
“Do Subliminal Messages Work?” Do Subliminal Messages Work & How Will It Benefit Me? N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.instantsubliminal.com/subliminal messages.html>.