Subliminal Advertising in Commercials

Back in college, I had a professor in an advertising class tell us the story of his discovering a rather suggestive shot in what I think was a perfume commercial.

He just happened to pause a tape and noticed a shot of a couple, I think they were in a barn, engaged in an act that probably couldn't be shown on TV. It only lasted for a couple seconds, but it was clearly there. He showed us the tape.

He then played us portions of phone conversations between himself and those involved in the making of the ad. No matter how many people he contacted at the company (and he even sent them a copy of his tape) they refused to acknowledge that such a sequence was there.

The bottom line was sex sells, even though the advertiser refused to admit it.

Just the other day, a similar thing happened to me.

I just happened to pause the Tivo on a commercial and noticed a brief one second shot.




Is it just me, or is that look she giving a bit, I don't know, seductive? Something you would expect to see in a Victoria's Secret commercial?

And the shot is just that split second.

What is this an ad for?

Hertz Rent A Car.

She's looking back, waiting to see if her boyfriend / husband is going to make it to the car in time.

The rest of the ad is rather innocent. He makes it to the car and they go driving off together, in their Hertz Rent A Car.

You figured they shot that sequence a few times. They had to go with the shot of the actress with her eyes half closed and licking her lips?