Customer Reviews

The Secret Sales Pitch: An Overview of Subliminal Advertising

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I'm a graphic designer, with a special interest in the power of subliminal advertising. Having recently compiled a written paper on this subject, Bullock's 'The Secret Sales Pitch' was immensely helpful. Bullock has mananged to summarise complex theory into easy-to-read chapters, that would be perfect for those studying the subject or would be interested in learning about this facinating area.

Subliminal examples are clearly identified and supported with full colour images, making points easily recognisable to the reader. Bullock's style of writing is accurate yet humorous at times, personalising his own experiences. He has also included possible experiments that the reader can test out for themselves. I did just that, and the results were incredibly revealing.

If you thought you understood the hidden arts of subliminal persuasion, this book is bound to teach you something new and will ultimately broaden your perceptions of advertising in today's society. A must-have in anyone's book collection.

Subliminal messages in advertising - many people claim they exist, most advertisers claim they do not. In "The Secret Sales Pitch" author August Bullock presents a strong case not only for the existence of subliminal influences in marketing but also for their effectiveness. Some of the examples in the book are very obvious once they are pointed out and there is no question that they exist, others seem to be a bit of a stretch. Prepare to be both surprised and at times appalled at the things advertisers put in their marketing pieces.

It is important to point out that some of the subliminal examples could also be an accident of light and photography. As an avid photographer myself I have had some photos end up with what would appear to be subliminal messages and images entirely by accident. Some of them were less of a stretch than some of the examples in this book. This is not to say that his examples are not created on purpose as part of a subliminal plan. Many of them are unquestionable created for this purpose. There is also no question that psychology plays a very important role in advertising. One thing that differentiates this book form similar ones is that Mr. Bullock not only examines the subliminal items hidden in the picture but also explains the psychology behind other parts of the advertising piece. "The Secret Sales Pitch" is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in marketing and the use of subliminal messages in advertising.

I was skeptical going into this book. I had read about subliminal advertising on the internet. It seemed logical the idea that companies would use subtle manipulation techniques to their monetary advantage if they were able to do so. But I questioned whether it was really possible to manipulate emotion and desire without the person being aware of it.

The first few chapters of this book, before Bullock gets to the examples, are a powerful, persuasive argument that lays out the scientific facts of how and why subliminal manipulation can be done. The subconscious takes in more information than the conscious mind is aware of. Every bit of the theory behind subliminal advertising that Bullock expounds is based on real experimental data. Cognitive scientists have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that people are influenced in all sorts of ways they are not consciously aware of.

The power to use this knowledge as a tool for manipulating people is very great. It blows my mind the blase attitude people have about being totally saturated in advertising since childhood. People think it doesn't affect them. This kind of go-with-the-flow attitude is exactly what advertising is there to engender.

One of the many good points the book makes, is the fact that there isn't even really a harsh dividing line between subliminal advertising and non-subliminal. It's not controversial that beer commercials use sex in them. Well what is that other than an attempt to connect in your mind alcohol and sex? You don't have to look too closely to see that not just alcohol, but EVERYTHING is sold by connecting it to sex. Obviously because sex is the most powerful human drive. Now if I said to you "buying this shirt is like having sex" you would say "You're crazy" but through the clever use of images I could connect them in your mind whether you like it or not. In a sense all advertising is subliminal because it creates associations between the product/service and certain things: sex, satiety, comfort, popularity, acceptance, fear, death, guilt, shame. Whatever works. These connections are made automatically by your brain when it sees two things connected in images and words. The advertiser doesn't approach you like an adult and make a reasoned argument that this lipstick and sexual acceptance, or that cigarette and fear of death, should be connected. It is done subliminally without the person's consent or knowledge.

So all advertising is more or less subliminal. Bullock's examples of hidden penises and corpses and crossdressers and so on, just go one step further. Since reading this book, I have personally located many examples of subliminal penises in real advertisements, including a big one in Jennifer Aniston's neck on the cover of Vogue magazine. The knowledge in this book will, if not protect you from those who would manipulate your subconscious mind for their own gain, at least give you the tools to begin to see through their tricks. Considering advertisements constitute the environment for anyone growing up in this era, the value and usefulness of this book cannot be overemphasized.

This book really goes into great study lenghs to give you an overview of what has gone on in the past and may be going on today.

At the very least it is eye opening and kind of makes you think about what we see in advertising from a different prospective.

I am excited to think we can change our future through sublimial messages. Still I can see that is very much up for debate.

Great reading on a fasinating subject.

With a degree in marketing and experience in graphic arts, I was aware of the basics of subliminal marketing messages. However, I was unaware of the pervasive presence of such hidden messages in mass market advertising --- the traditional marketing classes generally describe subliminal marketing as "untested" (perhaps because the high level advertising agencies keep their research confidential).

Bullock describes an ad for an alcoholic beverage -- an ad that I recall viewing in some detail as I rode the subway to work each day. At that time, I found the image in the ad both disturbing and riveting -- but I could not understand what kept bringing my eyes back to further study it. (As I never drink the particular product being advertised, it wasn't due to any obvious interest on my part.) Imagine my surprise when, there in The Secret Sales Pitch, is that ad I remember from the subway train thoroughly dissected and explained. It _does_ have disturbing aspects, I was _not_ going crazy to have been drawn to the image -- there were many distrubing subliminal aspects that I couldn't identify until I saw the discussion in the book.

I no longer simply look at any mass market ad without looking for hidden messages ... and I've seen some ads that have an initial "innocence" that, upon reflective examination, have many subtle images that reach out to our most basic emotions.

Read this book and you'll never be able to just look at an ad ever again without wondering what secret messages the advertiser is sending you.

"The Secret Sales Pitch" is a marvelous book, as well as a labor of love, which seems to have been years in the making. It is an indispensible resource in the field of subliminal messages. The book is extremely enjoyable, with a number of easy to understand examples and a free-and-easy, insightful, witty manner of speech. However, it never strays from tackling a serious subject that can affect everyone everyday. Kudos to Bullock for making this book available to the public.

It is very interesting to read. It makes you obsessed while looking at any ad in order to discover if it has embeds or not. I don't know if these tricks can increase your sales or not. I have to try it first. But for sure, it can work for propaganda especially if the designer is a sharp artist in including embeds.

Author August Bullock provides an informed and informative survey of how the media manipulates the minds of consumers through subliminal messages in The Secret Sales Pitch. By revealing the psychology involved in contemporary marketing strategies and tactics, Bullock has produced a kind of instructional manual which will prove to be a superbly presented introduction into subliminal message and image oriented advertising. The Secret Sales Pitch is strongly recommended reading for all elements of the advertising community, as well as social activists and reformers concerned with media manipulation issues arising from corporate and/or governmental efforts to persuade consumers and the body politic.

August Bullock's new book on subliminal advertising is well written, logical, perceptive, educational and controversial. Whether you ultimately agree with him or not about advertising tactics, you have to give him his due. Most of his conclusions are reasonable. His thesis is amply supported by carefully crafted analysis and numerous examples. Highly recommended for the artist, advertiser, teacher, student, or for anyone looking for an unusual read.

Just about all of the ideas in this book have been thoroughly explored in "Subliminal Seduction". There wasn't anything really new here. I thought that his presentations often did hold water and I do believe that this sort of thing is done in advertising but since it has been said before...

I wish that the author had used a better designed book to present his theory. Having a cheap design doesn't add weight. The companion website just compounds the feeling that this is put out by amateurs even though the message is serious. Had it been done with an eye to good sophisticated design, the author's argument would have been easier to absorb.

I would have liked to have known more about the author as well. We are told he is a lawyer but not what kind of law he practices, where he lives or anything much to help us form an opinion as to his seriousness.

Worth reading, would help to drive home the idea that there is subliminal advertising out there but the method of delivery could have used a lot of professional help from real graphic designers.