Subliminal

Subliminal advertising can be a great success and gain plenty of attention from the audience. Whether people think subliminal advertisements are manipulative, it's a success at advertising the product/service. The main idea of an advertisement is to create a name, to gain attention or a reputation for a brand. If including a subliminal message does that, it's just the advertising business. Personally, I feel that subliminal advertisements are smart because they're attention grabbers.

The hidden messages include sexual images or words that definitely gain attention. Sometimes, the audience will find humour in them and if not, they'll have some interest towards the advertisement. The use of sexual messages is smart because all people have interest in sex, whether it's speaking about it or..truth be told, just doing it. Therefore, any audience can relate to advertisements with an sexual message. Also, the obvious use of naughty bits could be offensive, inappropriate and disturbing for people. There are children publicly surrounded by advertisements and running such advertisements around them would be wrong. It could also receive a negative response in general, as not everyone speaks of such personal thoughts. This is why it's smart to have hidden subliminal messages, it's for those who understand such naughty terms. 

Overall, whether an advertisement has subliminal messaging or not, that factor doesn't matter. It's goal is to persuade and sell and it does exactly that. It's the job of an advertisement. Plus, even if a person catches the subliminal message within the advertisement, they still rethink facts about the product or service that aren't on the advertisement. They would mentally research the product/service before making a decision and even that all comes down to the buyer's choice. Subliminal messaging grabs attention, but it doesn't choose your final decision. 

For example: This advertisement has an intentional sexual visual in the ice cube. Yes, it grabs attention for those who view it. Though, the viewer will go back to the thought of Coca-Cola the soda and whether they should purchase this sugary carbonated drink. The subliminal messaging just grabs the viewer's attention a little more. 

Here's more advertisements with subliminal messaging:

Humour

It is completely true that humour is universal and everyone uses it. Though, not everyone has the same sense of humour, which means not everyone will laugh at the same kind of punchline. Every person is different and they all have different thoughts of everything. Sometimes, these thoughts can be very personal, which shouldn't be humourous to them. The slightest humour against that personal thought may trigger some negative emotions. Though, their personal thoughts of an idea is their personal issue, not the company of the advertisement. The advertisement will have a different target audience for this reason such as those who do appreciate the humour. The key to a successful humourous advertisement is to sell and to provide truth about the product/service. The main idea is to get noticed, whether people like it, enjoy it or even hate it. Being noticed would mean having a reputation and it's about getting your product out there and making a name for your company. 

I do believe it is worth the risk of a humourous advertisement to some extent. As long as your advertisement speaks the truth of your product/service, the people who have a personal issue with the humour are not an issue. Yes, humour within advertisements do gain attention, but most do not encourage buyers. On the other hand, these advertisements are a great starter point to gaining attention for the product/service. It isn't necessarily a waste to produce such advertisements, but there is a major risk of targeting the wrong audience. 

It all comes down to who you are speaking to through the advertisement. It all depends on who's your target audience and how you can gain their attention. Your target audience may be a certain group of different minds, but they all want a certain or similar benefit that your product/service offers. Therefore, it's necessary to include that certain information (USP or benefit) that your product offers and it has to be a benefit or need of your target audience. If this information is included in the advertisement with the humour, the advertisement can be a successful encouragement.

This Chupa Chups advertisement speaks the message of the product using light humour. It's possible that some people may just not enjoy lollipops or any candy, but it speaks the message of the product. Whether people enjoy Chupa Chups or not, they know it's sugar-free and that's the message. 

21st Century Healthcare Repella Insect Repeller: This advertisement adds humour with the, "Change the way insects see you" with the 'people' easily enjoying a picnic outdoors. Again, some people may not understand the humour within the use of a reptile, but it tells them that the repeller is that strong and that's exactly the benefit of the product. 

Here's a few more humourous advertisements that sends the message of the product, whether people enjoy the humour or not. (Personally, I really enjoy these last few advertisements because they instantly grab my attention with their bizarre humour. Plus, the strange humour makes them unforgettable and gets you thinking.)

Obesity Advertisements

People will always come in contact with advertisements, they're everywhere and anywhere. People will view different kinds of advertisements too, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will purchase every product/service they've seen from those advertisements. Why? Well, people definitely think about the product/service being advertised first, whether they need it or want it. There are many reasons for purchasing a product/service and those are exactly the reasons impacting a person's possible purchase. It all comes down to the consumer's final decision because their purchase is their money, and their money is their choice. 

Advertisements are definitely influential and a delicious burger or artificially flavourful candy isn't selling anything healthy. Even though it still comes down to the buyers' (most likely parents) decision, it is understood that a child can be a reason for any of these unhealthy purchases and that can be a factor on the parent's decision. This is how advertisements play a role in obesity, they advertise unhealthy products to children. These advertisements highly influence children's' needs and wants. Though, the question is whether parents should be more influential than these advertisements. Not only parents, but people in general should more influential over these advertisements. If people were taught about these unhealthy foods, if people were more of a positive influence than these advertisements, can we change their minds? 

Whether it's an advertisement for candy or 100% real juice, we as people choose what we want to purchase. That's what people need knowledge about, an understanding of a healthy lifestyle. You can snack on a sugary treat occasionally, but you need to balance it with a higher intake of healthy foods. People need to choose whether to consume unhealthy/healthy foods and they need to be persuaded to choose the healthier choice. Yes, advertisements play a great role in obesity because they advertise unhealthy and fattening foods. Though, you decide whether you give in and you decide what you become a consumer of. So, eat healthy and encourage others as well. Be a healthy influence. 

Maybe more healthy eating advertisements are needed everywhere.

Here is an example: How to influence healthy eating, positive and negative ways.