PROGRAMMING THE NATION _ Subliminal Messages to the Masses

Programming the Nation: Subliminal Messages to the Masses* exposes the controversial history and science behind subliminal advertising, featuring insights on Freud’s unconscious theories, James Vicary’s 1957 "eat popcorn" hoax, and experiments like Kilborn & Associates’ hidden phallic imagery in Marlboro ads. The documentary explores military and corporate uses of subliminal messaging—from tachistoscopes and galvanic skin tests to brainwave studies—while debating whether flashes of "drink Coca-Cola" or backmasked Beatles lyrics (*"I buried Paul"*) truly manipulate behavior.