Do subliminal ads work? Should we test them?

There are 2 ways to embed subliminal messages in ads.

1. Hidden:
Example – Imagine that a restaurant want to promote a particular kind of alcohol. So the restaurant or bar decides to subtly carve an alcoholic brand name into the ice that goes in your glass when you order a drink. Let’s say the bar is able carve the word “Vodka” into the block of ice. The desire in this scenario is to subtly suggest to the customer to order Vodka. This type of subliminal ads does not work for the following reasons.

i. Attention is premium. Most professional people are very busy and distracted and may not even recognize that they are being surreptitiously advertised to with a brand suggestion carved into the ice in their glass unless they are James Bond. In fact, it may even turn them off if they suspect that they are being subliminally advertised to.

ii. Established brands vs new brands. Established brands do not need subliminal ads. They certainly have the budget to create interesting ads that can engage their target consumers.

iii. Geography. Depending on your geography and sophistication of your target market/audience, you may be able to embed a subliminal message in the ad and have it be well received. It is worth noting that western consumers are generally suspicious of ads that are not transparent and upfront.

iv. Medium. Embedding subliminal ads in a static image is easier and more effective than trying to embed it in a medium such as video. Next time you see the FedEx logo, take a closer look. You will notice an arrow pointing to the right.



This is very clever and creatively done. Once you see it, you will always see it. The subliminal message that FedEx is conveying is that of “speed & delivery accuracy”. I’m not sure how much FedEx spent to get this clever subliminal message into its logo. I'll bet it wasn’t cheap. It has become an integral part of the FedEx brand now. It would have been very difficult to achieve this in a video clip of FedEx trying to explain how they are accurate in their package delivery unless the video includes this image.



2.Experiential: The advertising industry is rapidly changing from direct product ads to experiential ads. What does that mean? Embedding subliminal messages in an ad is easier and can be clever and witty.

Example: Subaru has a clever one in their 2018 Subaru Crosstrek | Subaru Commercial | Welcome to the Pack ...

Rather than an advertisement of the car itself, Subaru created an ad that is more focused on what experiences you will have with the car. The subliminal message here is that you will enjoy the outdoors, find love and enjoy the affection of a pet if you drive a Subaru. You only see the name of the car at the very end of the ad.

The lesson here is that unless you are able to embed a cleverly subtle subliminal message that conveys a positive “experience” associated with the use of your product, you are better off just doing a direct advertisement of your product in the ads. It is a tricky exercise because if your audience and potential customers detect that you are trying to trick them into buying your product, it could back fire. Once that trust in your brand is lost, it usually difficult to build it back up.

Also, see the CBSNEWS MoneyWatch article on The 10 Best Subliminal Ads Ever Made
"Subliminal advertising -- placing fleeting or hidden images in commercial content in the hopes that viewers will process them unconsciously -- doesn't work. Recent research suggests that consumers do sometimes respond non-consciously to cues they aren't consciously aware are there."