Age of Aquarius

Around this same time last year I saw my first Sprite SubLYMONal advertisement. I remember thinking that is was very clever, then I forgot about it for a while. Now I have stumbled upon these ads again a year later and I still think they are quite original and cutting edge.

Sprite is an interesting brand. They have chosen underground hip-hop followers as their target audience, and both Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, and Nils Anderson, a marketing guru, have spoken about the marketing genius behind Sprite's advertising campaigns. To my knowledge no other brand but Sprite talks directly to its consumer about subliminal messages, although these ads are exactly the opposite of a subliminal mesage. Each spot begins with a voice over that says, "Welcome to 'SubLYMONal' advertising. For best results, do not blink." The commercials even indicate that they are "DVR Ready," tempting people to record and replay them to discover embedded content within. The Lymon-focused action in each ad is interrupted by flashing images and messages and each spot closes with the words, "SubLYMONal Message Complete" and the tagline "Obey." Through re-watching the commercials people can find special codes embedded in the images that can be entered at the brand's website to unlock exclusive content. The site allows consumers to interact with the advertising and it provides different ways for them to create their own "SubLYMONal" experiences.

At UO we have been learning that subliminal messages can't force a person to buy a product. If you can see something else, another logo or object embedded then it isn't subliminal (below a conscious level) now is it? But regardless the myth is still floating around and people believe that evil advertising corporations are trying to target their subconscious. I think these ads are so great because they address the myth and throw it back in the viewers face, and they do it in an eccentric and funky artsy way that always keeps the viewer visually intrigued. I love these ads. Can you imagine how much fun the guys at Crispin Porter + Bogusky of Miami had thinking up the content in these ads? This is the kind of stuff I want to create. Watch the SubLYMONal ad below: