A subliminal message is an insufficiently intense message used to produce a discrete sensation by influencing one's mental process or behavior. Subliminal stimuli effect ones perception just below the threshold of consciousness. The theory behind subliminal stimuli is that human behavior can be controlled by messages that bypass conscious perception and operates directly on the unconscious, ultimately influencing ones behavior.

The use of subliminal stimuli in advertising scares many; yet this technique is frequently used as a desirable means of contacting, tinkering with, and some may even say manipulating people’s minds. Advertisers frequently use subliminal messages because they find them successful in helping to sell products. However, there are those advertisers who do not use them or believe in there ability. Some are convinced that subliminal advertising is a myth, and when sellin

The word sex is the most frequently embedded word in American industry. Key says that sex is alive and embedded in practically everything around us. Other words such as f?ck, cu?t, and death are also used frequently as subliminal triggers to motivate purchasing behaviors (Key, 1973). There are many areas in which these methods are used, such as in animated films by The Walt Disney Company. In The Little Mermaid the castle on the cover reveals a male's genital area. In The Lion King there is a wispy S-E-X spelled out in the fluttering of the stars in one scene. Key points out as an example an ad Cosmopolitan Magazine ran for Kent cigarettes. “Kent is a strong masculine name, suggesting a solid and distinguished WASP heritage. Simply change the vowel from “e” to “u”, and Kent becomes the phonetic word symbol for the female genital area (Key, 1973).

In a study conducted by Greenwald, Spangenberg, Pratkanis and Eskanazi, (1991) subjects were tested to see if the invention of self-help audio tapes really worked. Subjects who participated were given one of two tapes to listen to everyday for a month. One tape supposedly improved memory and the other self-esteem. However, the experiment was conducted so that those with the memory tapes actually had messages to promote self-esteem and vice versa. Results found that “the tapes label had an effect on the subjects beliefs about the area of their greatest improvement (Benjafield, 1997). For example subjects given memory tapes actually felt that the tape improved their memory. However, these beliefs were not concurrent with test scores. Result showed subjects actually improved in both memory and self-esteem tests, regardless of what tape they were given, and just participating in a study of this nature was the reason, not the subliminal messages.

A controversial Nevada court case highlights the potential legal dilemmas that can arise during periods of subliminal hysteria (www.parascope.com/articles). The families of two boys who committed suicide in 1985 sued Judas Priest, a British heavy metal band, for allegedly placing a subliminal message in the song “Do it”. The plaintiffs argued that it was these messages that caused their sons to commit suicide. Judas Priest's lawyers argued first, that the band had no subliminal content on their album, and secondly, even if there was

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