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ARIA ‘subliminal ads’ under investigation

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority will investigate alleged subliminal advertising during TEN’s broadcast of the 2007 ARIA Awards.

It will look at whether flashing images of logos for lollies, cars, cosmetics and fast food constituted a breach of the broadcasting code.

During the October telecast, frames of sponsor logos lasting 1/25th of a second flashed onto to the screen part of the way through each award category. The logos of the program’s sponsors – Chupa Chups, KFC, Toyota, BigPond and Olay – also topped and tailed each segment.

Channel Ten denies its “new creative treatment” of “rapid cut images” constituted subliminal advertising. It is insisting that the flashing images were not commercials and that the TV code of practice allows the use of such techniques.

A spokeswoman for Channel Ten said the network would respond to the authority in the “normal way”.

Any “attempt to use or involve a technique which attempts to convey information to the viewer by transmitting messages below or near the threshold of normal awareness” could be a breach of the broadcasting code. Subliminal advertising applies to all programs, promotions, community service announcements or station identifications.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

6 Responses

  1. Well with the Mint, infomercials and Benny Hinn, people know what they are watching and its there fault for ringing in or buying such things.
    With subliminal, you have no choice, your brain MAY be being manipulated without you even knowing it, lol, unless of course you notice it.
    And its no myth, symbology is another form of subliminal re-enforcement.
    The biggest companies in the world including TV have used subjects like sex and colors to try trick the brain into reacting in certain ways.

  2. When this was brought up on ABC1’s (known as ABC TV) MediaWatch, Monica Attard made th at exact point as slydoggie’s

    “The commercial TV body FreeTV wouldn’t tell us if there’d been any complaints – though if viewers weren’t “aware” of what Ten was doing – perhaps there won’t be any complaints. “

    And neonkitten is right that there are worst breaches going on all the time but I do think this needs to be picked up on or otherwise it leads to a slipperyslop.

  4. Neonkitten, are you serious? The use of words such as ‘egregious’ and your EMPHATIC capitalisation indicates you may just be having a crack.

    ‘Subliminal advertising is a myth’. No, the story of Jason and the Argonauts is a myth. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a myth. Subliminal advertising, on the other hand, is a very real phenomenon that has been the subject of vigorous debate for over one hundred years. Why, WHY indeed? Because, in short, people are reasonably suspicious about the abilities of unsolicited third-parties to infiltrate their brains using insidious visual techniques. Does it work? No-one knows for sure. Does it not work? likewise. Do advertisers spend millions of dollars a year researching ways to infiltrate the brains of an ignorant general public. Yes, yes they do. Do these advertisers have snakes for hair and walk on water. No they don’t, because they’re real people, not mythological constructs.

    Just because you’re happy to let strangers try to screw with your brain (or whatever it is you used to construct your scattergun argument), doesn’t mean the rest of us are.

  6. I’ve said it many times before, I’ll say it again: nothing to see here, folks.

    This is a misplaced case of people trying to catch a network out when FAR more egregious behaviour is left unchecked.

    Why, WHY is so much anger and energy being directed towards what is basically a technical but trivial breach of self-imposed rules when other networks are committing far more serious misdeeds? And yes, The Mint and the scam infomercials should be top of that list. Along with Benny Hinn, who to be fair IS scamming his way around Ten’s early morning schedule.

    Subliminal advertising is a myth. And this is a non-issue. I fully expect ACMA to do the right thing in this case and find Ten not to be in breach.

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