Another aspect I’d like to touch on when it comes to media ethics is subliminal advertising. This is probably one of my favorite topics when it comes to advertising ethics because subliminal messages are something we can only notice when they’re pointed out to us. Although I had always heard that advertisers strategically place hidden messages in their ads, I was skeptical as to whether this was just a myth or actually the truth. To my surprise, it didn’t take much research to find that many of the most popular and lucrative brands we associate ourselves with on a daily basis have serious subliminal advertising! Everything ranging from Coca-Cola to Walt Disney products all have some kind of hidden message that unless pointed out to the naked eye, goes unnoticed. Yet, I must say that once many of these had been pointed out to be I now cannot look at certain brands without seeing the subliminal message.
According to Straubhar, the author of “Media Now, Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology, “Subliminal Ads are words and messages that are presented below the audiences level of awareness.” For years it has been a question as to whether or not using subliminal advertising on consumers who don’t even know it’s there is ethical. Personally, I think it’s a risk that a company can choose whether or not to take. Since subliminal messages are below the audiences level of awareness, unless it’s pointed out to them they have no idea that a message is even there in the first place. What I think is that company needs to weigh out the risks of putting a message in their ad, and whether or not that message, if discovered, will effect consumers demand and also brand loyalty.
Take a look at the link I have attached to this post. It’s a Youtube video that points out the subliminal advertising tied in with Coca-Cola. I definitely think that in this case, it’s an ethical issue. In the video, the creator points out Coca-Cola’s references to cocaine, in that the actual Coca-Cola symbol is really two faces, and one of those faces has a straw coming out of it’s nose. I think that this is an extreme ethical issue, because cocaine use is a serious issue and could cause consumers to associate the brand with the drug. Although it is a fact that Coca-Cola used to use the drug in the product, the truth is that the company hasn’t done so in a very long time. Personally, I think that something like that would actually cause advertisers to shy away from any type of drug references to clear the Coca-Cola name.
I have also posted more Youtube links under the Coca-Cola one, because even though I just touched on one, there are so many interesting subliminal messages in every day advertisements!
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Coca-Cola Subliminal Advertising Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztTCbbXE24I
Other Subliminal Advertising Links
Facebook Subliminal Advertising
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