marketing oractices

8/8/2019 Marketing Oractices

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Visual Subliminal Messaging in Childrens Cartoons

By: Chris Choma

Childrens cartoons are packed with many controversial topics such as violence and sexuality.

These messages are not always purposely placed in the cartoon, but instead are sometimes the result of

an oversensitive parent or a misunderstanding. However, many parents would be shocked to learn that

cartoon makers are intentionally brainwashing their children by secretly placing messages never to be

deciphered by the conscious mind, but instead propagating the subconscious, into behaving a certain

way.

This practice is known as subliminal messaging and it is certainly nothing new to mass media.

Ever since the advent of television and radio, subliminal messaging has had a place in both advertising

and programming. But what is subliminal messaging? It is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary

as, Below the threshold of conscious perception; inadequate to produce conscious awareness but able

to evoke a response (AHD, 1352). What this means in the world of mass media is advertisers and

programmers are slipping in messages that you act upon and dont even realize that you are doing it.

And they are also doing it to children. Although there is no official law that makes subliminal messages

illegal, it is widely frowned upon by the Federal Communications Council (FCC). Stiff fines and penalties

including revocation of a stations broadcasting license can arise if a station knowingly airs anything

containing a subliminal message. This is was not always the case as proven by the FCC in the 1950s

when legislation that was to forbid subliminal messages was overturned. The FCC referred to Section

326 of the Communications Act stating, The FCC is prohibited from censoring broadcast material,

including advertising. It wasnt until 1958, when the National Association of Broadcasters pressured

the FCC to make subliminal messages illegal, that the FCC finally complied by revising its policies on the

matter. The new code states: Any technique whereby an attempt is made to convey information to the

listener by transmitted messages below the threshold of normal awareness is prohibited (FCC

Information Bulletin 7). This law, however, only limits the use of auditory subliminal messaging. There

has never been any legislation passed restricting the use of visual coercement of the subconscious,

which remains legal today.

Many acts of accused subliminal messaging are easily explained by a simple coincidence. Such as

the infamous Disney stories, when in the 1990s, conservative Christian groups such as the American Life

League accused the childrens entertainment giant of placing subliminal messages of a sexual nature in

its films. In the movie, The Lion King, the word S-E-X is spelled out by flying dust as Simba plops on the

ground. There was also the incidence of a phallic symbol being placed on the cover of The Little


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Mermaids videotape box. While these can be explained as an accident or a coincidence that just

slipped by, other acts of subliminal messaging are purely intentional.

Ken Sobel, a business man from New York, became aware of subliminal messages in cartoons in

the 1980s while viewing a videotaped episode of Alf, the animated series, he noticed a glitch in themiddle of a battle scene. Upon further review, he was able freeze the tape on the exact frame that

caused the glitch. He was instantlystunned at what he saw. There, on the screen, was the image of an

American flag in the background, the statue of liberty in front of that, and diagonally across the screen

in large block letters was the word A-M-E-R-I-C-A. This image was present for only one frame, or 1/30th

of a second. This was brought to the attention of NBC Studios which originally aired the broadcast.

Although NBC, as well as ABC and CBS, has a policy prohibiting the use of subliminal messages, it does

not actively screen its shows for such content. NBC launched its own investigation on the incident and

reported that while in production at Korumi Studios in Japan, where the cartoon was made, animators

admitted to intentionally placing the image as well as others within their cartoons. Who Framed Roger

Rabbit? was also at the center of controversy after it was released on home video. In a scene where

Jessica Rabbit is tossed out of the car, her legs spread and for about four frames, there is her exposedgenitalia in full detail. The animator responsible for this scene admitted to what he had done, claiming:

I thought no one would notice.

The use of subliminal messages such as these has been almost eliminated because technology has

advanced to where home viewers are now able to search what they are watching frame by frame.

Animators are now cautious not to put such blatant images in cartoons. Whether or not subliminal

messages still exist is known only by those who put them there. Since we are not meant to know, will

we ever know if we and our children are being brainwashed?

Auditory Subliminal Messaging in Childrens Cartoons

By: Shawnte Ray

The lessons that the media conveys to those parts of the mind without conscious perception through

the cartoons that people watch, are referred to as subliminal messages.

If thats the Democraitc way, I am voting Republican. This was said by Meowth in an episode of

Pokemon that aired on Monday, October 11th, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. When children watch cartoons, they

always pay attention to what is being said. In a childs subconscious mind, he or she is exposed to

auditory subliminal messages that they may never discover, but they will eventually become a part of

their lives. Not all auditory subliminal messaging is negative. However, most of these messages have a

negative effect on children. The interesting thing about the situation is that these messages are most

common in popular cartoons.


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SpongeBob Squarepants has been on the air since 1999 on Nickelodeon. Today, it still remains popular

and new episodes are still being created. It is now 2004 and people are speaking out against the

messages that they found hidden in a number of episodes. The main allegation against SpongeBob

Squarepants is its use of metaphors in place of profanity. When he is disappointed, SpongeBob will

often yell out Tartar Sauce. To an adult ear, that phrase may sound like it is intended to represent acurse word.

Also belonging to the Nickelodeon station is Rugrats. It has been on the air since 1991. The show is

often seen as prurient or sex driven. The last name of the main characters is Pickles which is a

euphemism for the male genitalia. Lou Pickles usually calls his grandson, Tommy Pickles by the name

sprout. It has been argued thatthis nickname is also a euphemism for the male genitalia as well.

Angelica Pickles represents the S&M of Rugrats because constantly physically and verbally abuses the

babies. Lesbianism is also portrayed in this cartoon. Phil and Lils mom, Betty Deville is what we would

call a Bull Dyke because she wears a bandana, hangs out with feminine women, yells a lot, and loves

sports.

When parents choose what cartoons to let their children watch, they want to make sure that these

cartoons are appropriate for general audiences. If a parent was to find profane or sexual language in

the content of a cartoon, they wouldnt allow their children to watch that cartoon anymore. People

who create popular cartoons are careful to not allow any vulgar content to be incorporated into their

cartoons. However, every cartoon cant be made perfectly safe for viewing by children and some of the

verbal content may be mistaken for auditory subliminal messages.


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Marketing Practices of Companies that produce Childrens Cartoons

By: Divia Nelson

Ask any company today what is one of the best ways to sell a product? Many will respond, make it

accessible to children. Surprise by this response? Well, you shouldnt be. Nearly 2 billion dollars is

roughly spent on advertising to young consumers in America alone. Nearly 30 billion dollars are rackedin annually from children 4 to 12 years of age and the numbers get even higher with age(Shah 1).

Children are no longer viewed as vulnerable human beings that need to be nurtured. Nowadays,

companies are increasingly viewing kids through an economic lens. This is because children are easy to

take advantage of. A child will see an item that they want and will throw a complete tantrum until their

parents give up and purchase it. This is a marketing companys dream come true.

Children tend to trust adults even when they shouldnt. So, when a spokesperson for a product

encourages the child to purchase a product, they will. Marketers are fully aware of this piece of

information and take complete advantage of it. Advertising at its best is making people feel that

without this product, youre a loser says Nancy Shalek, president of Shalek Agency. Kids are verysensitive to that. If you tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But if you tell them that theyll be

a dork if they dont, youve got their attention. Marketing Companies can open up emotional

vulnerabilities,and its very easy to do with kids because they are emotionally vulnerable.

Cartoon companies are the most common companies that are tapping into this new trend. It is literally

impossible to walk into any store today and not see any licensed cartoon merchandise. From playing


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cards to toothpaste, these companies have covered every angle possible. By doing this it makes it

impossible for a child to walk into a store and not want a specific item. Cartoon companies are also

known to advertise their object in between television shows. The commercials are designed to have the

child infatuated with the object and wanting it as soon as possible. With such devises these companies

are using today, it is quite understandable why these companies bring in billions of dollars a year.

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