subliminal advertising

Subliminal advertising is marketing that operates below the threshold of conscious awareness—images flashed too briefly to register consciously, or messages hidden in music or visuals.

The idea gained notoriety in the 1950s with claims that theaters inserted frames saying "Drink Coca-Cola" into films, though these claims were later debunked.

While largely illegal or regulated, subliminal advertising persists as a cultural anxiety about hidden manipulation in media.