[ZootTheSim]

It's been nearly fifty years since Wilson Bryan Key revealed the extent to which advertisers relied upon subliminal messaging in ad copy to create desire for consumer goods in his best-selling Subliminal Seduction; or, Are you being sexually aroused by this picture? (1973). Check out this 1954 Martin ad over on Helen's website:

https://bassic-sax.info/blog/2014/ever-heard-of-the-martin-margin

Note the illustrated reflection in the bell interior, which is much more elaborate than that depicted in other ads of the period. What do you see there?

To me, it looks like a flamingo's head and beak. Could it be a subliminal shout-out to Earl Bostic's 1951 hit "Flamingo," which he played on a The Martin alto? I've seen this exact same graphic on other Martin ads, though can't say if any were produced before 1951.

Do you see the bird too, or am I suffering from a case of pareidolia brought on by self-isolation due to the pandemic? Has anyone noticed any other subliminal messaging in sax ads, vintage or otherwise? And what exactly is the woman in this Buescher ad reaching for? Does it arouse you, maybe make you want to grab a Buescher and all life's pleasures?

 

[Reet McVouty]

No.

 

[lostcircuits]

Oh man, you are cracking me up! But saxophone ads were never subtle, just like the instruments themselves. It's that bold, in your face, thing that reminds me of that cartoon of the old ladies sitting around a convict (in chains) and asking him to just one more time repeat the sound the girl made when he strangled her .. :evil:

 

[area51recording]

"Many master scales in the first hour"......been workin' on that for 30+ YEARS. Mastered?!? Hell no, not even CLOSE.....

 

[AddictedToSax]

Nope. I do remember seeing a ***** in an ice cube in a whisky ad. And a rat in another one. They threw them in to cause a reaction. Positive or negative wasn';t important as long as there was a reaction.

There’s nothing subtle about the image from the book:

 

[sopsax]

Having worked in the ad biz once upon a time, I can easily imagine an art director, graphic artist, or photographer inserting a subtly subversive image as a prank, as an act of rebellion, or as a cry for help. But designing subliminal messages on purpose to influence the subconscious mind? Puh-leeeze! 1.) It wouldn't work; 2.) nobody on the creative team would think it would work; 3.) no account manager would have the courage to try to sell the idea to a client; 4.) no client would have the imagination to understand the concept; 5.) if it somehow got approved anyway, somebody inevitably would get cold feet & pull the plug; 6.) if it somehow made its way into the real world, there would be no way to verify whether it had worked, & therefore no way to assign praise or blame, & no guidance on whether to try it again.

Subliminal advertising never existed except in the minds of media critics trying to sell books. So, to the extent that books on the subject found readers, I guess you could say that it worked.

 

[Arundo Donax]

Nope. I do remember seeing a ***** in an ice cube in a whisky ad. And a rat in another one. They threw them in to cause a reaction. Positive or negative wasn';t important as long as there was a reaction.

There's nothing subtle about the image from the book:

If there's anything there, it's too subtle for me. I see too much ice and the edge of a stingy slice of lemon. No phallic objects, no female forms.

 

[paulwl]

"Many master scales in the first hour"......been workin' on that for 30+ YEARS. Mastered?!? Hell no, not even CLOSE.....

There weren't nearly so many scales in use in the 1920s*, and you weren't expected to base your "faking" on scale fragments. (That's the old word for improvisation.)

*Now that the Twenties are back, it's important to differentiate which Twenties you're talking about.

 

[pontius]

Most, maybe all of the seduction I see in advertising is the opposite of subliminal.

 

[JimD]

Please tell me if I’m supposed to see something suggestive in that picture, it sure evades me. The lemon however is revolting.

 

[Arundo Donax]

There are numerous things about advertising that really p!ss me off, but one I'll mention here is how advertisers pick a song that many people like and try to associate it with their product.

 

[AddictedToSax]

If there's anything there, it's too subtle for me. I see too much ice and the edge of a stingy slice of lemon. No phallic objects, no female forms.

Take a look at the lemon peel. Then just above the lemon peel appears a shadowy object that could be interpreted as a man wearing an overcoat and happily sporting a chubby.

There are numerous things about advertising that really p!ss me off, but one I'll mention here is how advertisers pick a song that many people like and try to associate it with their product.

I see that mostly in the prescription drug ads but it happens in all genres. There's a lot of old songs in car ads too.

 

[Arundo Donax]

... a man wearing an overcoat and happily sporting a chubby.
...

Sort of like looking at clouds and seeing animals.

But even if that image were their deliberate intent, a man in an overcoat etc., probably creeps out 99.999% of people.

 

[pontius]

Take a look at the lemon peel. Then just above the lemon peel appears a shadowy object that could be interpreted as a man wearing an overcoat and happily sporting a chubby.

View attachment 256400

I see that mostly in the prescription drug ads but it happens in all genres. There's a lot of old songs in car ads too.

That is just nuts, IMO.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

That's just bigfoot.

 

[ZootTheSim]

To my eye, the ice cube bears the stylized face of an old, very forlorn woman reaching out her hand. As AddictedToSax says, it doesn't matter whether the image is positive or negative, as long as it grabs your attention and invokes a subconscious response that keeps you thinking about the product.

 

[AddictedToSax]

Take a look at the lemon peel. Then just above the lemon peel appears a shadowy object that could be interpreted as a man wearing an overcoat and happily sporting a chubby.

View attachment 256400

I see that mostly in the prescription drug ads but it happens in all genres. There's a lot of old songs in car ads too.

That is just nuts, IMO.

I can recall discussing it in a psychology class in 1970. It's nothing new.

 

[Arundo Donax]

To my eye, the ice cube bears the stylized face of an old, very forlorn woman reaching out her hand...

To me, it's a musician holding his soprano sax, head held low, as he walks away from a gig where he wishes he'd had a tenor. I mean - it's obvious.

 

[ZootTheSim]

To me, it's a musician holding his soprano sax, head held low, as he walks away from a gig where he wishes he'd had a tenor. I mean - it's obvious.

Yeah, actually, now that you point it out. . . .