Using Hidden Messages in Advertisements and Logos is a Valuable Tool Toward Increasing Positive Consumer Behavior

Many consumers when viewing a product being advertised or when looking at a company's logo are fully aware of how they are feeling towards the product or company logo respectively.

The thing that consumers are not fully aware of is how advertisers can pinpoint the subconscious level of a consumer's mind in order to reap consumer approval.

The Goals of Consumers Are Vital When Discussing Subliminal Priming in Advertisements

According to an empirical journal by John A. Bargh, using hidden messages/subliminal priming is a method that aims not at producing goals for the consumer that were not previously present, but rather it aims at reinforcing or manipulating the consumer's established goals in order to garner their interest.

For example, if a company were subliminally advertising a product that served the purpose of quenching thirst, people who are not thirsty will not be affected by the subliminal priming in the advertisement. 

People who are actually thirsty on the other hand would be affected by the subliminal priming being done and it would positively affect their preference of the beverage.

By strategically targeting the goals of consumers with subliminal priming, one can see how this tool can be effective.

I interviewed Marketing Professional Hank C. Boyd, III of the University of Maryland below. Due to his focus on consumer behavior, I was able to gain information from the perspective of a professional on this matter. I asked him, “How do you believe messages made by companies/corporations in advertisements affects consumer behavior?”

Study Shows How Consumers' Choices and Intentions Towards Products Are Positively Affected Through the Use of Subliminal Primes

One of the studies that I found about subliminal priming shows with empirical data that subliminal advertising is a tool with significant effects on consumers

The primary focus of the study was on how priming consumers affects choice in brand names, specifically in this study the choice of brands between the Lipton Ice Tea beverage and Spa mineral water.

In the study, sixty-one students participated in an experiment where they were first ordered to participate in a visual detection task with the purpose of determining the accuracy in which people can detect small deviances in an image or text.

The visual detection task subliminally primed the experimental variable, Lipton Ice Tea, by first presenting the participants with a string of repeating letters in under 500 milliseconds in addition to flashing the priming phrase “Lipton Ice” in between the strings of letters. 

After this task, the participants were asked about their detection of the priming phase in which it arose that none of the participants were aware of the phrase nor did they know the true purpose of the overall task.

The participants were then instructed that they would participate in a study on consumer behavior. The participants had to decide which brand they would choose to drink between Lipton Ice Tea and Spa mineral water by pushing 'p' on a keyboard for the brand on the left side of a screen and 'q' for the brand on the right side.

The next step ordered the participants to determine their intention to drink Lipton Ice Tea. This was done by measuring their intention on a scale of one to seven, one being not likely at all and seven being very likely.

Lastly the participants were tasked to indicate their level of thirstiness. This was done after the priming in order to make it unclear whether the thirst ratings were due to levels of thirstiness or due

Graph 1

to participants being primed of their goal of quenching their thirst.

The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between levels of thirst and how likely they were to choose Lipton Ice Tea over Spa mineral water as shown in graph one.

Graph 2

In addition, the experiment also showed a positive correlation between amount of thirst and intention to drink Lipton Ice Tea as opposed to Spa mineral water as shown in graph two.

Overall, this experiment displayed how priming individuals is likely to increase choice and intentions towards a product.

If the individuals have goals/intentions associated with the purpose of the product, this conclusion is especially true.

Question asked in video clip: "When it comes to advertising, how is the subconscious aspect of consumers highlighted when advertisements are made?"

The above video clip of Mr. Boyd backs up this study of how subliminally priming consumers have the ability to promote interests in products as long as the product can satisfy the consumer's already established goals.

Targeting the Subconscious is Effective Towards Positively Controlling Individuals, Leading to Increasing Sales

According to an article from Business Insider, using subliminal elements in advertising can be used to control an individual's decision making.

A Harvard study used a popular method of subliminal priming in which the subjects played a computer game that briefly flashed words on the screen.

Half of the participants were flashed with positive words such as "wise" and "accomplished" while the other half were flashed with more negative words like "senile" and "diseased."

Although the words were flashed far too quickly to be consciously recognized, the subjects that were flashed with positive words completed the game significantly faster than the subjects flashed with negative words.

In addition, an article on LiveStrong states that subliminal messaging can control the emotions and desires of consumers in a way that is beneficial for advertisers looking to promote products.

By including elements in an advertisement that invoke happiness, excitement, and positivity that are below the level of conscious recognition, consumers are affected in a way that makes them perceive what is being advertised in a light that attracts attention and consequently attracts dollars.

Not only does subliminal priming have the ability to favorably affect consumers, but it also supplements the general experience of the entire advertisement for the viewer. 

Mr. Boyd was asked in the clip below, "What would you say are advantages to priming consumers in advertisements subliminally?"

Mr. Boyd did conclude that yes, subliminal priming can increase sales for a company, but a company still has to create an overall appealing approach to consumers beyond incorporating hidden messages within an advertisement. 

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Subliminal Priming is Being Used in the Logos of Numerous Companies and Brands Today in Order to Accumulate Consumer Interest

There are many people out there who may be skeptical to how prevalent subliminal elements are for companies today.

With the simple fact that subliminal primes go over the heads of many consumers and also considering that subliminal messaging has received an infamous reputation for how controlling of people it can be, it is not hard to view subliminal messaging and priming as obsolete.

What many are blind to is how a number of small and large companies and brands are using subliminal elements not just in their advertisements but also are implementing them into their company logos as well.

According to an article on the psychology behind the designs of logos, amateur designers of logos do not incorporate subliminal primes into their logo designs.

The best logo designs have hidden messages and tweaks in them that would go unnoticed by the viewer. The subtlety of these aspects in a logo is what sets it apart from the cookie cutter logos with basic, cut and paste logo design.

As a result, consumers who view such logos with subliminal primings develop a deeper interest in what the company is all about.

Link to full size image

Not only does a consumer gain interest due to how clever the design of the logo is, but in addition, whatever subliminal elements a logo designer incorporates into the logo has the ability to enhance the understanding of a company for the person of interest/consumer and the connection between the company and the consumer can grow stronger.

Large companies and brands such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Baskin Robbins, and LG utilize subliminal primes in their logos. 

These small and subtle additions to their logos convey messages to the viewer that often go beyond their conscious level of thinking, setting them apart from the average logo and thus increasing interest toward that company.

In addition, noting that companies and brands of great renown use hidden messages, it is beyond doubt that this technique is relevant.

Subliminal Priming, Though it Should Not Be the Main Focus in an Ad or Logo, Is Beneficial Toward Connecting with Consumers

As shown by studies and various articles on using hidden messages in advertisements and logos, priming people on a subconscious level has its advantages.

Companies are able to connect with the consumer emotionally, can gain interest from the consumer, and are in addition able to garner choice and intention towards their product or service all through hidden messages and symbols.


Because subliminal primes are such a small part of an advertisement or logo, they cannot be the main focus of either an advertisement or logo, but overall, implementing these elements prove to be of value for companies and brands in advertisements.