James Vicary pioneered the idea of subliminal advertising in 1957 where he quickly flashed messages on a movie screen to influence people to purchase more food and drinks. He projected the words “Drink Coca Cola” and “Hungry? Eat popcorn” for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals which resulted in increased sales of 18% and 58%.
The next year, the CIA banned subliminal cuts in the US noting, “certain individuals can at certain times and under certain circumstances be influenced to act abnormally without awareness of the influence.” The only problem is that many believe the study was “a gimmick” and James disappeared from the market business after his disclosure.
