This short article will give an insight into the visual examples of subliminal messages as used in political speeches, cartoons, movies, song, and of course the media and advertising industry – especially the advertising industry!

Subliminal messages across all types of products - even a subtle subliminal suggestion will have an effect on sales and boost the memorability of an advert.

However, subliminal messaging is actually banned from use in TV advertising – companies are not allowed to use a visual messages which are shorter than half a.5 of a second i.e. quicker than our eyes can see. Neither are they allowed to use subliminal sounds – for example a sound which is below or above the level of human hearing capacity – this is basically as they are seen as manipulative – and rightly so, there have been several studies showing the influence of subliminal adverts.

However there is still a LOT subliminal messages in advertising posters and still shots. These vary from hidden text (commonly the word Sex), or suggestions (again usually suggesting Sex).

Virtually all sectors of industry have used subliminal messages - everyone from from local neighbourhood bars to multinational food and drinks manufacturers - to name a few: coca cola, McDonalds, and KFC. Coca cola perhaps being the cleverest of these three – often creating images of naked women out of the design on their cans, out of the shape of ice cubes, and making happy faces out of the lettering of their logo – anything to either link coca cola to sex in the mind of the consumer or link their brand positively in general.

George Bush is also a fan of subliminal messaging - he has used it to his advantage throughout his election campaigns. Disney too frequently use subliminals – for the same reasons as McDonalds – it adds a wider appeal and makes their movies more memorable.

There are countless more visual examples of subliminal messages so follow the link to see some more.