Vicary's Subliminal Advertising Experiment

Record	OBS-0251
Category	Media/Disinformation
Status	DEBUNKED
Summary	James Vicary claimed in 1957 that subliminal messages flashed in a movie theater increased popcorn and Coca-Cola sales. The claim was later admitted to be a hoax and has never been replicated. Despite this, the story persists in popular culture and has influenced public perception of subliminal advertising.
Origin	The claim originated from a press conference in September 1957, where Vicary reported results from an alleged experiment at a Fort Lee, New Jersey movie theater during the summer of 1957.
Claimed	Subliminal messages 'Eat Popcorn' and 'Drink Coca-Cola' were flashed every five seconds for 1/3000th of a second during a movie. The experiment resulted in a 57.5% increase in popcorn sales and an 18.1% increase in Coca-Cola sales. The experiment involved 45,699 people. Subliminal advertising can effectively influence consumer behavior.
Evidence / consensus	The experiment was a fraud. Vicary admitted in 1962 that the study was a gimmick to attract customers to his failing marketing business. The theater manager denied the experiment ever took place, and subsequent attempts to replicate the results failed. Scientific studies have found no evidence that subliminal advertising works as claimed.

> OBSERVER NOTE:
A classic case of a fabricated study that spawned a persistent urban legend. The fact that it took five years for the confession to surface and still circulates today shows the stickiness of a good story over evidence.

Sources

Sources are external and provided for verification. Listing does not imply the Observer endorses their claims.