The
elements of interest are primarily 'contained' within the glass
but those viewers with a roving imagination will not doubt be able
to perceive 'images' within the ice cubes. What will be perceived,
however, is the product of the perceptual system as it attempts
to make sense of the ambiguous nature of the 'figures' in the glass.
There are various animalistic 'faces', an undoubted phallic shape,
a Lowry type figure to the left about to have his eye poked out,
and others. All in all, a nice festive treat for the festive drinker.
The Drambuie is intended to be drunk with ice but it isn't the drink that needs to be put on ice. Such ads need to be iced - permanently. They are intended to encourage drinking as a means of coping with emotional turmoil and anxiety - or worse still, to engender such emotions in some viewers in the hope that they will 'turn to drink' to alleviate their anxiety. For other ads in the same vein seek those for Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and others. And don't forget the classic Gilbey's Gin ad first reported by Wilson Key.
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Not for the first time, nor for the last, Marlboro enters the ad of the month stakes. See Oct 2000, Jan 2000 and May 1999 for other examples. This, in fact is an 'old' ad. It has been issued at least twice before in recent years. This would seem to indicate that it has been an effective advocate for Marlboro - and embedded imagery in advertising. For more details about this jaded jackrabbit and his embedded message see the Second Time Around page. Unlike the stereotypical rabbit who has not trouble mating and reproducing, this one has to advertise for sex. The letters SX are visible on his chest on the extract below. |
It's not a particularly pleasant ad, but what is not consciously perceived is considerably more unpleasant that what can be perceived. Ignore the snouts of the crocs in the foreground and focus on the background. Superficially, the trees are seemingly sillouetted against a brightly lit sky, possibly a fire or the setting sun. However if you look more carefully at this aspect of the ad you will note that the scene is in fact composed of a set of indistinct 'faces'. The rollover highlights a couple of the larger 'faces', with only one side of the 'face' on the right showing reasonably clearly. The caption would seem to refer to the crocs (either to be seen by tourists, or to devour tourists). But, where smokers are concerned, the caption really refers to the unearthly figures in the background. They are there to trigger anxiety in some smokers and to remind them of their welcome into the next life once they shuffle their mortal coil - with the help of Marlboro, of course. The inspiration for such an ad possibly originated with the viewing of artistic works containing embedded faces. For more commentary on Marlboro ads, follow your snout. |
If the subject of this section was placed on a separate page the one and only headline would have to be 'It's the real thing.' But it isn't, so we will have to settle for reporting the semi-subliminal oddities that make recent examples of Coca-Cola packaging something to remember. The first can be found on 500 and 2ltr bottles of Coca-Cola. Superficially the labels appear pretty innocuous. However, look at the 'spray' emerging from the bottle but don't get carried away. It is not a phallic shape, though it might be intended to be perceived as sexy if one reads quite a lot into the fact that it is bursting to get out of the bottle. The
odd thing about the label is that it appears to contain a very
thirsty, Gremlin like, face as becomes If one were to consider this label on its own it could simply be an aberation or the idiosyncratic work of the team who produced the label. However, despite one classic blooper when the recipe for Coke was changed some years ago, the advertising, promotion and marketing of Coca-Cola is generally deemed to be very carefully managed, though in recent years Coke has been having a hard time. This attention to detail would seem to indicate that the 'face' was intentional (and presumably effective in encouraging the drinking of Coke). It is not the only Coke label that the author has come across recently that has what seem to be semi-subliminal elements embedded in them. Some in fact can be construed as semi subliminal attempts to associate sex with Coke. And Pepsi don't seem to be taking the competition too lightly. They also have joined in the 'subliminal' Coke War. |
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Last Revised: 20th September, 2001 |