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“A virtual social H‐bomb”: the late 1950s controversy over subliminal advertising

“A virtual social H‐bomb”: the late 1950s controversy over subliminal advertising Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the beginning of the controversy over subliminal advertising in late 1957, as news of a supposedly successful commercial test of subliminal advertising became widely disseminated. The paper investigates the test and the reactions to it. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews many contemporary accounts of the events described, and pieces together a coherent description and interpretation of what happened. This is of course standard historical methodology. Findings – The primary finding is that many reactions to subliminal advertising were fearful and wildly overblown – and have continued to be so down to the present despite no proof that subliminal advertising is effective. The deep roots of the fear are best explained by the paranoid and fearful intellectual climate in the USA. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in its thorough review of original sources, and in its explanation of why the fear of subliminal advertising became so intense. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Historical Research in Marketing Emerald Publishing

“A virtual social H‐bomb”: the late 1950s controversy over subliminal advertising

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References (30)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1755-750X
DOI
10.1108/17557501011042533
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the beginning of the controversy over subliminal advertising in late 1957, as news of a supposedly successful commercial test of subliminal advertising became widely disseminated. The paper investigates the test and the reactions to it. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews many contemporary accounts of the events described, and pieces together a coherent description and interpretation of what happened. This is of course standard historical methodology. Findings – The primary finding is that many reactions to subliminal advertising were fearful and wildly overblown – and have continued to be so down to the present despite no proof that subliminal advertising is effective. The deep roots of the fear are best explained by the paranoid and fearful intellectual climate in the USA. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in its thorough review of original sources, and in its explanation of why the fear of subliminal advertising became so intense.

Journal

Journal of Historical Research in Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: Apr 13, 2010

Keywords: Advertising; Consciousness; Marketing strategy

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