Subliminal messages are full of criticism and myths, such as the Coca-Cola logo. If you turn it upside down and add some lines, it says "Alo Diavol," which means "Hello devil," suggesting that Coca-Cola is a satanic product that has a huge impact on the global market. Another example is the rumor that Paul McCartney from "The Beatles" died in a car accident and was replaced by a double. Some people have looked for hidden messages in different songs, such as "Strawberry Fields Forever," in which John Lennon seems to say "I buried Paul." These examples show how subliminal messages are often associated with satanic things. But what is a subliminal message, really?
Subliminal messages are theoretically small messages that are not presented explicitly and are exposed briefly but work on the unconscious mind of the person. Many times these are confused with apophenia, which is the human tendency to see patterns and/or connections in meaningless data, and therefore, they are not subliminal messages. People are simply seeing patterns where there are none, such as a cheeto shaped like a cat. Individuals exposed to subliminal messages do not realize anything; they simply see images or words that are displayed quickly and are only perceived unconsciously.
Beginnings: Sigmund Freud postulated that individuals were motivated by unconscious desires and repressed memories, which led the subject to have certain behaviors or actions. Just as in his theory of dreams, he explained that the content of dreams was essentially composed of information perceived subliminally. In 1957, James Vicary conducted an experiment in which he presented a message for viewers to perceive in a photographic production. The message said "Drink Coca-Cola, Eat Popcorn" on a white background and lasted a few seconds on the screen. However, an increase in the consumption of these products was observed. After the increase in sales, many people were upset because they thought they were being controlled by advertising they could not see. However, this study could never be replicated, and James confessed that he was lying. Therefore, the scientific community believed for a long time that subliminal messages had no effect on people. Nonetheless, there is a study in which subliminal messages can persuade people because they can convince the user to choose a means to satisfy a need they have at the moment. For example, imagine you're hungry and see a burger from a certain brand for a few seconds. Due to this message, you will tend to choose this brand that was shown to you when you prefer a burger, even if you are not aware that you saw that subliminal message.
How to implement subliminal messages? This is something all companies want to know, whether to use them or not. Different tools and creativity are required to develop them, such as: Video: In videos, they are expressed by showing shapes, phrases, or hidden elements throughout the video, being subtle and clear at the same time. If it is not done in this way, the audience can misinterpret the message, understanding something totally different. Image: Those images you see while driving, waiting for the metro or the bus, or on a website, create an effect in your mind. You must keep in mind that an image is information, and the brain stores it, making you remember and analyze it, even if you are not aware of it. This medium expresses the desired message more directly, but hiding it under a different object than what is being expressed, so the user will understand it easily. Whether in songs or any other audio, the message is expressed indirectly through software used to mix sounds with the message to be transmitted to the unconscious mind.