Abstract:
Subliminal advertising is a phenomenon that has been extensively researched over
the past few years. There are many controversies regarding the roles and
effectiveness of subliminal advertising. The role of subliminal messages in
advertisements, in changing consumer buying behaviour is vague. There is
uncertainty of how subliminal messages can be implemented in advertisements, in
order to change consumer buying behaviour. This study addressed this problem by
determining the roles of subliminal messages in advertisements, through means of a
mixed methods study. Data was collected through online surveys, and in-depth
interviews in order to gain a detailed understanding of the roles of subliminal
messages in advertisements. This study focused specifically on an emotional appeal,
as well as a sex appeal. Print advertisements was utilized in conducting this study, as
the focus of this study is on static advertisements. It was found that subliminal
messages in advertisements plays no significant role in changing consumer buying
behaviour. This study focused specifically on young South African consumers.
