Could a melody played my sportsfans trigger an action over the television?

Question

So I was watching the world cup the other day and some of those fans played instruments like the Vuvuzela at the world cup 2010.

The situation

What would happen if a company launches an ad with a simple but effective melody before the world cup starts and gets the melody to trigger an action, like feeling the need to drink cola (just an example)?

If fans would be able to play this simple melody in the stadium, could this trigger this certain action?

The question

Could this be used for advertising in a real-world scenario?

Are there already any examples using this strategy?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

This sounds like subliminal advertising

The United States does not have a specific federal or state law addressing the use of subliminal messages in advertising. Instead, it is the country's advertising and broadcasting regulatory agencies that deal with the topic and its impact on the public. In contrast, other countries do have specific laws in place concerning subliminal marketing.

Britain and Australia, for example, ban subliminal advertising for any reason. there have been alleged messages hidden in music, for example the rock band Judas Priest were sued after two teenagers listened to a song titled "Better by You, Better than me" which contained a sublimnal mseeage of "Do IT" which althouguh seemed innocent within itself, was argued that the two boys, who were believed to be suicidal already, caused them to take their own lives.

"The judge, Justice Jerry Carr Whitehead, ruled that the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech and press does not extend as far as subliminal messages. Since the recipient of a subliminal message is unaware of it, the message can't contribute to dialogue, the pursuit of truth, the marketplace of ideas, or personal autonomy. There is no information exchange when it comes to subliminal messages, and no disagreement or argument is possible if recipients are unaware of the message's presence. Judge Whitehead also explained that people have a right to be free from unwanted speech. Since subliminal material cannot be avoided, it constitutes an invasion of privacy (Vance v. Judas Priest 1989b)."

"Justice Whitehead ruled, however, in favor of Judas Priest. His ruling was based on the defense's insistence that the power of such a message to move a person to action has never been proven (for more on this idea, look at the psychology section of this website). He stated his conclusions on the subliminal threat in this way: "The scientific research presented does not establish that subliminal stimuli, even if perceived, may precipitate conduct of this magnitude...The strongest evidence presented at the trial showed no behavioral effects other than anxiety, distress or tension." (Vance v. Judas Priest, 1990)"

The problem with this sort of advertising is that although there is proof that it can have an effect it is not always broadly effective, then there is the the fact that even the best best marketing companies cannot predict mob mentality, the Vuvuzela was not an expected thing at the osuth african world cup and it became huge, but it then went the other way and people heard it so much that they started hating it.

So in conclusion, it is possible that it could work, however if it were broadcast in certain countries it would be illiegal and other countries may not be as effective as they'd hoped. join that with the fact many companies wouldn't want to get caught doing so as it would appear unethical practice, so it is unlikely that it would ever happen

Answer 2

You're looking at a "Trigger Phrase:" used with Manchurian or Deep Cover agents.

Someone is first taught or hypnotised to perform certain tasks that will become activated with the phrase. (As seen in movies Manchurian Candidate and Telefon.)

Prior to performing the task the target must be brainwashed or hypnotized to react to the trigger.

In the real world (due to the human brain being susceptible to suggestion) advertisers do play sounds while showing people satisfing their thirst (or just the sound of opening cans) hoping people will go for that soda/beer and not cat food.

Though there have been attempts to use subliminal messages, it turned out that the success rate is lower than just showing regular ads.

My point is, you can't expect a certain sound will result in a predictable action because the human brain works like a sack: you can only take out what you first put inside.

Answer 3

Very deep sounds, like the growl of a tiger, will cause not only humans but any mammal to have feelings of anxiety and fear. This is not a pavlovian response since it does not require prior training - it is just instinct.

So you could have any form of propaganda where you either portray an "enemy" - a nationality, an ethnicity, a polictical view other than your own - and play a very deep sound like the simulated growl of a T-Rex as background to instill fear of whatever it is that you don't like. The response people will have to your target AFTER the propaganda has been watched multiple times will be pavlovian.

Or you might instill fear against an undefined enemy in order to sell stuff. For example:

"Your family is always in danger. Protect your family with (company name) ammunition" (with a soft tiger growl as background). People will be afraid, and will go for guns to feel themselves safer from whatever.