The subliminalworld.com Web Site is a considerably shortened and simplified version of the author's forthcoming book Sexy, Subliminal and Deadly? The psychology of manipulative advertising. The content and commentary will therefore appear somewhat superficial to academics and professionals. However, this site is intended for the general viewer rather than the professional.   Relatively serious viewers may wish a more detailed introduction.  If so use the hyperlink to skip to the full introduction.

The Site is primarily intended to help bring the subject of semi-subliminal advertising to the attention of consumers who might otherwise never give any thought to advertising material that attempts to manipulate their ideas and behaviour.  Additionally the examples are presented in order to refute the continual protestations of advertising professionals that there is no such phenomenon as subliminal advertising. They know damn well there is. However, they also know it is not truly subliminal in nature, it is actually semi-subliminal. They therefore continually draw attention to old history and never to their own actions.

Viewing the ads will assist you to discover how some advertising companies try to influence you without your knowing how they do so - and without you being aware that they are trying to influence you.  Their ads can be sexy, cheeky, rude, disturbing, distressing, crude, cynical, depressing and occasionally, humorous.

Most of the literature on this subject refers to Subliminal Ads. But, if one accepts the standard definition of what is meant by subliminal, these ads are not subliminal at all. Subliminal images cannot be perceived consciously so all the ads illustrated here and elsewhere contain images that are almost, but not actually, subliminal. To be more precise, the ads contain semi-subliminal images. The distinction between these different types of ads is made clear using a variety of ads on the What's Subliminal Pages.

The illustrations are presented in gif or jpg format and ought to be viewable using most recent web browsers. To complement these illustrations and the accompanying text two extra sets of illustrations are included. These have been labelled Subliminal Sidelines and The Bonus Box.

Subliminal Sidelines takes a satirical and humorous approach to semi-subliminal adverts by re-interpreting the actions and sayings of various well known historical, entertainment and political characters. The sidelines show, in effect, that history and popular attributions are often 'incorrect'.  Contrary to established truths, many of the actions and sayings of individuals and characters as diverse as Pierce Brosnan, Pamela Anderson and Winston Churchill were, in fact, due to their having been presented with evidence of semi-subliminal advertising. History just got it wrong, that's all.

It should be noted that an appreciation of the Sidelines will be enhanced after one become reasonably familiar with the topic. They will be meaningless in isolation or without some knowledge of the subject - so become reasonably familiar with the subject of semi-subliminal advertising before you become tempted to take a peek.

The Bonus Boxes are easier to appreciate. They simply contain animated versions of various ads. These can only be viewed by those with java enhanced browsers. Various banners in the text also rely on java and other advanced functions but alternative text provides an indication of the messages these contain.

An extended version of this introduction, offering more background information and additional insights into the subject of semi-subliminal advertising, can be found by clicking alongside.