THE SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING (25th FRAME) – A MYTH OR REALITY?

What is the 25th frame?

It is a method, used for influencing the human mind on both conscious and unconscious levels, by adding an additional video frame. It is mostly applied in movies and the goal is subliminal advertising. In the past it was believed that in 1 second the human eye cannot capture more than 24 frames. Today, we know that this is incorrect, because our ability to perceive the frames depends on the quality of the picture and the speed with which objects move on the screen. Most studies demonstrate that on average, the human eye can capture between 20 and 26 frames per second.

The Story

The idea emerged in 1957, when James Vicary, a market researcher, conducted a secret social experiment. He incorporated the slogans “Drink Coca Cola” and “Eat Popcorn” in the movie Picnic. These 2 messages were showed on screen every 5 seconds, with no possibility for the public to consciously see and perceive them. The research continued for 6 weeks. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the sales of popcorn increased by 57.7% and those of Coca Cola by 18.1%, and that 45,000 people viewed the movie during these 6 weeks. Advertisement agents, scientists, and professionals were all amazed by the results and Vicary was asked to conduct another experiment. He agreed and conducted several demonstrations, which generated significant results in favor of the “25th frame idea”. However, one year later, when the Advertising Research Foundation requested the data and manuscripts of the experiments, Vicary did not provide them.

Shortly after that, Stuаrt Rogers, a student from New York, decided to write a Thesis based on Vicary’s findings and stumbled upon 2 issues. On one hand, Rogers found out that the cinema, in which the experiments were conducted, was impossible to serve more than 50,000 viewers for 6 weeks. On the other hand, the director of the same cinema stated that no such experiments were conducted there with his knowledge.

In the years that followed, the advertisement agency Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), released a hidden “Call us Now” message during the popular at this period of time TV show “Close-Up”. However, the amount of calls did not increase. CBC then informed the audience about the already conducted experiment and asked the viewers to guess what the message was. The answers were all wrong, but almost half of the viewers stated that they had the need to eat or drink during the show.

In 1962, Vicary confessed that the 1957 experiment, including the whole statistical data on the sales, was fabricated. Nevertheless, the TV and radio started using Vicary’s methods. In 1974, the Federal Communications Commission banned the subliminal advertising for all the media, even though

no proof of it affecting people’s minds existed. Conspiracy theorists state that Vicary was forced to say the experiments were fabricated in order for his idea not to be banned.

Following these events, the subliminal advertising myth was forgotten until the beginning of the 21st Century, when Svetlana Nemcova, deputy director of the Institute of Television and Radio, Doctor of Engineering Science, explained that the 25th frame affects people unconsciously. For example, if the 25th frame contains the text “Kill your neighbor”, then the viewer, who unconsciously perceived it, could feel aggression towards his/her neighbor. As such, the message could possibly achieve the intended effect. Something similar to hypnosis. Sadly, the esteemed director failed to give an adequate explanation about why such an effect could occur. Understandable. As most scientists say, “such an effect is impossible”. Their argument is that the brain of a living being, especially a human, is structured in such a way that it can capture visual information only through the underlying receptors. If the information cannot be captured by the receptor (the eye), it cannot reach the brain. In other words, if a person does not see the 25th frame, the information it bears cannot reach the receptors and thus, the brain. However, if the frame is spotted, well… this is an entirely different story. Hence, even though the possibility for the 25th frame to be perceived is very little, it still exists.

In 2006, BBC conducted a social experiment regarding subliminal advertisement, which again failed to prove that a significant effect on the human mind exists. More information about the experiment can be found here.

Conclusion

The conclusions we can draw are that the subliminal advertising phenomenon exists and will continue generating interests in the future. Does it affect the human brain in any way? It certainly does. Does it accomplish the intended effect? Based on the accessible information, we could say that such an effect might be insignificant and probably would work only on a tiny part of the population. However, it is a fact that subliminal advertising is banned in many countries, which can serve as a proof that the population feels mentally insecure and can easily be manipulated.

References:

1. Evseyev, A. (2012). What's the danger of 25th frame effect? Retrieved from http://www.pravdareport.com/science/mysteries/17-12-2012/123198-twenty_fifth_frame_effect-0/.

2. BBC Magazine(2015). Does subliminal advertising actually work? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30878843.

3. Love, D. (2011). The Shocking Drink And Incredible Coke History Of Subliminal Advertising. Former tech reporter for Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/subliminal-ads-2011-5.

4. Unknown. (2011). Popcorn Subliminal Advertising. Retrieved from http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp.