The Times' subliminal messaging

Brilliant. The Times had an article on a study where brain scans were used to see if subliminal messages affected the human brain (Subliminal advertising may work, but only if you're paying attention). The answer, they do. It was an interesting read, learning that an advert for a George Bush campaign was pulled after it was discovered the word 'rat' flashed for a split second, which viewers absorbed, relating Al Gore to be a rat!

The footer of the page said to turn to the leading article. Pay close attention to detail. Here's a copy of it from the online edition:

Smoke Signal Puffs

The real news of how to pass secret advertisements and influence people

Subliminal advertising really works. The brain absorbs minimal messages without even realising that it has seen them. Buy The Times. Ingenious scientists at University College London have proved this by brain mapping. Human guinea-pigs had their brains scanned while being blinkered and brainwashed by subliminal trickery. Meanwhile, they were given absorbing tasks to distract them. For example, brush up your Shakespeare: O God! that one might read your book of fate,and see the revolution of the times. Do not for get. The time soon passes when one is reading. Of course, nobody expects such fun and verisimiltude on our idiot television. If you want the real news and sage comment, you need the world’s oldest and greatest daily paper.

Nobody knows how much advertising works. The top guess is that about 10 per cent of the people are taken in by the choice and master advertisers of the times. The poser for the admen is which 10 per cent are gullible enough to buy their puffs. In the ad biz, sincerity is a commodity bought and paid for like everything else. But now the trick is to get your message across without the little victims noticing that they are puppets on a string of coded messages. At the heart of the ridiculous slogan is the subliminal. Readers of this newspaper are too quick-witted to be taken in by such devious manipulation, which is, in any case, illegal in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, be on your guard. Timon of Athens is the best model in these subliminal ambushes. Read all commercials, watch all television, with caution. The narrowed eyes of the worldly-wis e cynic are the best organ to ward off the secret poison arrows of the subliminimalists.