The Danger of Subliminal Advertising

In modern society, advertisements and the media bombard Americans every single day. Television advertisements, movies, radio, and even Spam mail have become a daily part of the lives of many citizens. However, most people do not realize the sinister methods advertisers and corporations employ with the media in order to obtain a profit. The use of subliminal and negative advertising has increased immensely and shows no plan of stopping anytime soon. This dangerous ploy manipulates the public and causes individuals to subconsciously crave a product or service. It is integral that society understands the jeopardy of this malicious form of propaganda and begins to take a stand against it for the sake of citizens’ privacy.

Advertisers have resulted to underhanded methods that invade privacy to obtain money from the public. Examples of these methods include types of “ad creep” such as place-based advertising, placed in public to force viewers to watch video ads, as well as product-placement, the inclusion of products in movies and other forms of media (Ruskin and Schor). These advertisements appear negligible, but they create a lasting impression on the viewer, causing the individual to purchase the product at a later time. What is more alarming is the new and uprising collaboration between advertisers and scientists, forming the field of neuromarketing (Reid). Though most studies are in a preliminary phase, this science researches the effect of advertisements and products on the human brain with the help of an MRI (“Marketing’s Mind Control”). Consequently, neuromarketing can tell advertisers what must be integrated into their advertisements and propaganda in order for the public to buy the product or use the service. Neuromarketing...

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... complete control of the thought process, as seen in 1984. Instead of the government attempting to control the thoughts of the public, the media could possibly take this role in order to obtain a large profit. However, as said by a blogger named Augustin, the only way to prevent manipulation is through knowledge. Because advertisements play such an integral part in today’s society, it would be impossible to immediately eliminate them. By realizing the actions advertisers take to manipulate the public to purchase a product, the deed is ineffective. In addition, encouraging congressmen to take a stand against subliminal broadcasting and printing and actively confronting the issue would decrease the use of underhanded, subliminal messages to gain profit. By realizing the danger of subliminal advertising, surely these methods will eventually cease to be a major threat.