By C. Mohler, E. Pascal, E. Russell, B. Smith & A. Zavala
Introduction
The use of embedded subliminal messages has caused controversy regarding how it can affect consumer behavior in advertising. Subliminal messaging is the stimuli that operate under the threshold of a person’s conscious perception (cited needed). This can be anything that is “hidden” or placed in ways that are intended to change the way consumers feel without directly being consciously perceived. This topic is both interesting and important because understanding how subliminal messaging works can prove its worth and reveal how it aims to influence people. This translates into consumer behavior and how it is affected by subliminal messages.
Controversy Around Subliminal Messages
Now that we have gone over what subliminal messaging is, let’s delve into research that has been done on it. Subliminal messaging has been known to be a bit of a controversial field for multiple reasons. People are often frightened by the idea that messages they are not fully aware of could potentially influence their behavior or purchasing decisions. According to Psychologicalscience.org, people fear that “losing free will and behaving in value-inconsistent ways” (Hardin, 2019) can result when one is subject to subliminal messaging. Research suggests that this concern is exaggerated as subliminal messaging can affect people, but in a relatively small amounts. Another reason that subliminal messaging is controversial is because there are disagreements on its effectiveness. When researching the topic, we found plenty of sources both defending and opposing how subliminal messages affect consumer behavior. In the next few paragraphs, we will be going over the research both for and against subliminal messaging, and giving our opinions on our findings.
Are You Thirsty?
There are mixed results on the influence of subliminal messaging in affecting preferences and purchase decisions as described above. At times this depends on the consumer’s alignment with the brand image. Karremans, Stroebe and Jasper (2006) explored the impact of subliminal priming on consumers when it comes to brand choices. They did two studies that involved thirsty and non-thirsty participants exposed to “Lipton Ice” ice tea brand. They considered that the primed brand could be seen as a help for thirst.
The hypothesis suggested that thirsty individuals, when subtly exposed to brands associated with heightened thirstiness, are unlikely to select it. In study 1, participants were subliminally primed with Lipton Ice or a control word. After the priming, participants were asked to choose between Lipton Ice and Spa Rood. Their level of thirst was also measured with a self-report scale. For study 2, the authors compared the thirst factor by changing the level of thirst to see the change in their drink choice. The overall findings showed that subliminal messages like quickly showing the words “Lipton Ice” can slightly influence people’s choices but only if they are already thirsty. It was also found that if the hidden message matched people’s goals like taking away thirst they were more likely to choose it. This suggests that a prime brand may be more positively evaluated in specific situations like “goal-relevant.” This experiment showed that embedded subliminal messages in advertising could potentially influence consumer behavior slightly with the correct conditions.
Hershey’s Chocolate Case Study
There have been many research studies on whether subliminal advertising has an effect on consumer’s purchasing behavior. One study conducted by George and Jennings (1975) took two sample groups and presented them with a movie on a slide projector. One of the sample groups, the movie was presented with Hershey’s Chocolate being subliminally embedded in the movie, while the other group had no subliminal messaging. The goal of the experiment was to see if the subjects who were involved in the subliminal message would purchase Hershey’s Chocolate after watching the movie. The results of the study were that neither the sample with the subliminal message nor the one without purchased the chocolate within 10 days of the study. So why did this subliminal message not prove to be effective?
As described by Broyles (2016):
“Moore stated that although subliminal perception does exist, the subliminal stimuli are usually so weak that potential effects are easily nullified by other competing stimuli. While some studies showed a weak emotional response to subliminal stimuli, no evidence exists to suggest that subliminal advertising is effective in persuading consumers to buy products.” (p. 396).
In many subliminal advertising cases, this quote is deemed to be true. Many subliminal ads can be too subtle to have an effect on a consumer, therefore many marketers see this advertising technique as a waste.
Is Subliminal Messaging Worth Using?
Subliminal messaging can have a small effect on consumer behavior, but most of the time it is not worth implementing because of its controversy and risk. This is because the effects are very subtle, and with the risk of making consumers feel like they are being controlled, or perceive this as a lack of autonomy most of the time marketers choose to not use this technique. Overall marketers should be mindful of using this strategy since it has ethical implications and can be perceived as a violation of consumer privacy.
Personal Reflection
Reflecting on subliminal messaging in advertisements, our group’s view can best be described as balanced. Brady and Emeric perceive it with a mix of fascination and concern, emphasizing that ethical considerations are crucial when influencing customer behavior without their conscious awareness. They highlight the fine line between influence and manipulation, underscoring the significance of ethical considerations in marketing strategies. Astrid and Carson discuss the effectiveness of subliminal messages, with research evidence suggesting their impact is minimal. Consequently, the level of influence is low, and consumer decisions remain predominantly under conscious control. However, they also point out the necessity of continuing to scrutinize advertising practices. Emma underscores the importance of transparency and respect in advertising. Undoubtedly, regardless of how effective subliminal messaging might be, the ethical question of influencing consumers without explicit consent cannot be overlooked. The advertising practices they recommend respect consumer sovereignty and independence, ensuring that marketing objectives do not compromise ethical standards.
Conclusion
The effect of consumer behavior can be altered by the use of subliminal messaging advertising, but it is often a diminutive change. The use of this strategy can be controversial because consumers feel as if they are losing some of their free will as if the subliminal messages impact their decisions. This is not true as subliminal messages do not hold that much power over consumers. Another reason it can be controversial is due to the question of how effective this strategy truly is. In a study conducted to see if subliminal priming would affect the choice of drinks, it did yield a slight boost in favor of the brand that was subliminally primed before the experiment started but only when participants stated they were thirsty. In a study conducted by George and Jennings in which they experimented with subliminal messaging embedding in a movie to see if it would affect consumers’ purchase of Hersey’s chocolate, they found that it was ineffective. This is due to the fact that other stimuli can easily overpower the very subtle cue to buy chocolate during the movie. All in all, subliminal messaging can be effective, ever so slightly, and can contribute to consumer purchase behavior.
Sources
Broyles, S. J. (2006). Subliminal advertising and the perpetual popularity of playing to people’s paranoia. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 40(2), 392–406.
George, S. G., & Jennings, L. B. (1975). Effect of subliminal stimuli on consumer behavior: Negative evidence. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 41(3), 847–854.
Hardin, E. (2019, March 29) Myth: Subliminal Messaging Can Change Your Behavior. Association for Psychological Science.
Karremans, J. C., Stroebe, W. & Jasper, C. (2006). Beyond vicary’s fantasies: The impact of subliminal priming and brand choice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42(6), 792-798.
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