Parodies of Subliminal Advertising Play on the Public’s Imaginations

“I met a subliminal advertising executive today,” comedian Steven Wright deadpanned in a recent monologue. “It was just for a second.”

These days, comedians aren’t the only ones poking fun at subliminal advertisements--hidden commercial messages. Several big advertisers, including Seagram’s and Schweppes, recently decided to make a mockery of the topic in separate offbeat campaigns. In effect, the advertisers are attempting to capitalize on a serious criticism that has dogged the advertising industry for years.

Psychologists and academics say ad parodies of subliminal messages can probably be very effective. The topic plays right to the public’s imagination, said Dave Stewart, professor of marketing at USC. “People like conspiracies. And we like to think there are people seeking to manipulate us,” said Stewart. “Advertisers know this gets people’s attention. So why not take advantage of that interest and incorporate it into ads?”

Last week, the House of Seagram introduced a print campaign that features what the ad calls a “hidden pleasure”--a woman swimming in a glass of Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin. The catch: The woman is barely perceptible without the assistance of an arrow that is pointing directly at her. “Have you found the hidden pleasure in refreshing Seagram’s Gin?” poses the headline above the ad.

And last year, when the home video of the hit film “A Fish Called Wanda” was released, the movie was preceded by a 90-second commercial for Schweppes sparkling beverages that was a direct spoof on subliminal advertising. The ad featured actor John Cleese, who played a guy concerned about subliminal ads. But even as Cleese railed against its effects, viewers saw the word “Schweppes” flash constantly on the screen in places that varied from the inside of Cleese’s jacket to the bottom of his shoe.

Are Seagram’s and Schweppes capitalizing on their own deceptions? Well, the companies insist that they’re only horsing around. “We’re just trying to have some gentle fun,” said John Oliver, director of public relations at Seagram. “No smart advertiser would ever try to pull off a real subliminal ad. If the public found out about it, they’d go crazy.”

“I wouldn’t read too much into what we did,” said Mary Bennett, senior product manager at Schweppes U.S.A. “We just wanted an ad on the video that was entertaining, or we knew viewers would fast-forward past it.” Instead of skipping the ad, research showed that many consumers went back and watched it two or three more times, she said.

Is subliminal advertising effective? That depends on who you ask. None of the networks allow it. It is also outlawed by the Federal Communications Commission.

That didn’t stop a subliminal message from appearing last August on NBC’s Saturday morning animated version of ALF. Of course, the message hardly appeared to be damaging. It was an animated drawing of the Statue of Liberty on a red-white-and-blue background with the word “America.” The image, which was placed in the cartoon by animators in Japan, flashed on the screen for 1/30th of a second. The animators later explained that they did it just for fun.

But Wilson Bryan Key, who has published several best-selling books on the topic, insists that there is nothing fun about most subliminal messages. His books go to great lengths to point out how lots of ads have hidden messages--many of them sexual in nature.

Perhaps the best-known “study” of subliminal advertising took place in 1957 at a drive-in theater in Ft. Lee, N.J. Researcher James Vicary flashed messages on the screen that told viewers to eat popcorn and drink Coke. Although the messages appeared at a speed too fast for the eye to consciously see, he claimed that popcorn and Coke sales soared at the concession stand. But later he repeated the experiment, and there was no increase in sales.

Most psychologists are unimpressed with subliminal advertising. “With so many other things competing for our attention, subliminal advertising is a waste of time and money,” said Joyce Brothers, the syndicated psychologist. Brothers said she has been asked to narrate subliminal mood-altering tapes. “I refuse to do it,” she said. “I think it’s junk.”

“The time has come to demystify this boogie man of subliminal advertising,” said Carol Moog, a psychologist and advertising consultant who authored the book, “Are They Selling Her Lips?” “It really doesn’t happen because it really doesn’t work.”

Yet the general topic of subliminal messages seems to be a hot button these days. Parents of two Nevada teen-agers are trying to prove in a Reno court that their sons’ suicides were directly related to alleged subliminal messages in the music from British heavy metal rock band Judas Priest.

Pepsi-Cola has recently received inquiries about the design of a Pepsi “Cool Can” for one of its summer promotions. Some consumers have informed Pepsi that, upon close inspection, the word “sex” seemed to be subtly printed on the can’s exterior.

“It’s nothing more than an odd coincidence,” said Pepsi spokesman Tod MacKenzie, who noted that the can was selected only because consumers prefered it over hundreds of other designs.

“And,” he said in reference to an old Beatle recording that supposedly had a hidden message, “if you spin the can backward, it doesn’t say, ‘Paul (McCartney) is dead.’ ”

Xerox Wants to Portray Unified Global Image

More and more these days, advertisers are trying to mesh their ad images worldwide. On Monday, Xerox Corp. became the most recent firm to announce such a policy. It handed its estimated $25-million U.S. ad business to New York’s Young & Rubicam agency.

Y&R; already handles advertising for Rank Xerox, a majority-owned European joint venture. Since 1986, the U.S. Xerox ad account has been handled by Backer Spielvogel Bates Worldwide, whose current campaign focuses on Xerox quality.

“This will give us more worldwide scope,” said Xerox spokesman Thomas C. Abbott of the agency switch. He said the new campaign will probably appear in September.

Putting Polish on New Toothpaste Campaign

For years, the rap against the toothpaste Topol was that while it did a heck of a job whitening teeth, it was also an abrasive.

But last week the American Dental Assn. finally gave the toothpaste its seal of approval. And as a result, the makers of Topol--DEP Corp. of Rancho Dominguez--plan to quickly spread the good news to the dental community. The company last week placed a $1-million ad budget in the hands of the Los Angeles agency Fotouhi Alonso Inc. to promote Topol and Lavoris mouthwash directly to the dental profession.

How to do that? “Historically,” said Stephen R. Elson, executive vice president at the agency, “it’s done with free samples.” But instead of just handing out lots of freebies, the agency will place ads touting Topol’s new acceptance in publications written for dentists and dental hygienists.

Nike Makes Bo Jackson Spot Add Up to Fun

Nike even knows Bo’s numbers.

That’s clear in Nike’s most recent Bo commercial. The ad, which features Bo taking part in gobs of athletic events, is littered with references to the numbers Bo wears on the field.

When Bo, decked in jockey attire, walks by leading a horse, the number on the horse is 16. That is the same number Bo wears as a Kansas City Royal. And the racing car that Bo drives has the number 34 painted on it. That, of course, is his number as a Los Angeles Raider. Although it doesn’t have a number, the hockey uniform he wears says “Le Bo” on the back.

But the most unusual hidden message is one that few viewers will see. In the ad Bo also takes a swing at a golf ball that seems to fill the screen. Although the ball’s flight appears to blur when the commercial is viewed normally, when the ad is videotaped and stopped, the words “Bo Jackson” can be clearly seen on the golf ball.

“It was just an inside joke,” said Liz Dolan, a Nike spokeswoman.

Thinking Theatrical for Ahmanson Ads

Some advertising accounts have special perks--such as nights out at the theater.

That’s what executives at the Los Angeles agency Larsen Colby Koralek expect to be enjoying. Last week, the agency won the $1-million broadcast ad business for the Ahmanson Theatre plays that will be staged over the next year at the Doolittle Theatre in Hollywood. The Ahmanson is booked with Phantom of the Opera.

The agency was hired to create broadcast ads for the full season. Its most recent ad, for Neil Simon’s play “Rumors,” features three sets of mechanical false teeth that appear to be talking to each other. The chattering teeth cost $4.95 each, said Rick Colby, executive vice president of the agency. “That’s $15 for the talent,” said Colby. “Hard to beat.”