Subliminal messaging has had a short but interesting history.  To fully understand how subliminal advertising cannot be effective, one must look at the past and a few of the explorations completed regarding this new subject.  After the 1950s movie theater scheme, subliminal messages have been debated and researched.  However, to comprehend what subliminal messages are and if they can possibly affect an individual, individuals should revert back to basic psychology and science.  First of all, psychologist Dr. Bertrand Klass defines subliminal stimuli as “those which are not sufficiently potent to elicit a response” (par. 7).  Basically, this means that any messages that do not evoke a reaction from the five senses or conscious brain but dives further into the mind is technically a subliminal message.  This definition raises many questions regarding the thresholds of the mind, the commonality of these stimuli, and even the different types of subliminal messaging.  First, the threshold is the point at which an organism can detect a certain stimuli.  Any stimulus below this is considered subliminal (Klass par. 9).  Research has been done and continues to be done regarding these curiosities.  Despite the short history of subliminal advertising, much investigation has been done to narrow down this concept.

        To narrow this down, studies have been executed regarding subliminal stimuli; these stimuli, then, can become priming agents. According to the article “Subliminal Advertising,” priming occurs when an individual absorbs sensory details into the brain, resulting in a triggering of different memories and ideas that can affect that individual’s thoughts and decisions (par. 3).  Again, the public must also not be naive; priming is the supposed gateway into subliminal effects.  With this in mind, one must be careful, because priming is not always negative.  This process is a natural part of the brain’s work.  According to social psychologist John Bargh, the actual danger is in the mind of the viewer:  “It does not matter if we are aware of the presence of a stimulus; what matters is whether we are aware that it may have influenced us” (par. 10).  Whether or not an individual realizes the motivation behind every advertisement he or she views, the decision is up to that individual regarding subsequent actions.  Therefore, the exact frequency these messages emit seems to be unknown, because advertisers may not even realize the full effect of their content.  Again, the final decision is up to the individual, and this should not be worrisome.  Although, the public should be aware of the types of messages that are possible.  The article “Subliminal Advertising” summarizes these attempts of subliminal messaging, which includes flashing a message so quickly the viewer is not consciously aware, like the 1950s scandal, playing audio on a below the common sound threshold, and placing hidden words, phrases, or images inside a larger picture (par. 3).  This might all seem scary, but remember that this is all only research and information aimed at educating society.  In sum, much research has been done in order to discover information regarding common questions about subliminal stimuli.

        Despite the fact that the public is slightly ignorant of subliminal messages, there seems to be prevalent and exact opinions regarding subliminal advertising’s effectiveness.  In his study, researchers Eric Zanot, David Pincus, and Joseph Lamp claim that “approximately 78 percent of the subjects in this study stated they knew what subliminal advertising is” (par. 23).  This is an outstanding statistic when compared to a seemingly confused and fretful society.  Even more outstanding is the information discovered by advertising company Oglivy and Mather, who conducted a telephone interview regarding their business and broadcasting, and journalist Michael Lev.  Oglivy and Mather discovered that only roughly 20 percent of interviewees did not believe in subliminal advertising at all or were unsure (Zanot 13, 16).  That is an outstanding statistic!  In addition, Lev reports that, in a recent poll, about two-thirds of the interviewees believed that subliminal advertising exists (par. 3).  These alarming facts make one realize the unnecessary light on an unrealistic situation.  When one learns the true facts about subliminal advertising, he or she might change opinions from belief to skepticism.  As the research shows, there are many shocking opinions and beliefs among Americans regarding subliminal advertising.