Subliminally Sticky

I was watching TV the other day and I happened to see a commercial denouncing the use of steroids. The image on the screen was a baseball, football, basketball and volleyball on a bench in a locker room. As the narrator went on (http://www.stickylife.com/) about the hazards of steroid use, the balls got smaller and eventually shriveled up.
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I couldn't help but wonder, "Hmmm. Is there a hidden message that they're trying to get across here (http://www.stickylife.com/)? Could shrinking balls somehow be connected to the use of steroids?"
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Nah, probably not (http://www.stickylife.com/).
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This got me thinking about the whole concept of subliminal (http://www.stickylife.com/) advertising. For years, companies have slipped sexual images into photographs. Take this Coke ad, for example:

See the not-so-subtle imagery? Look closely at the reddish brown shapes. I guess it could've been an accident, but . . . nah, who am I kidding? That's silhouette nastiness right there. (www.stickylife.com)

I guess the thinking here is that our subconscious minds are always on the lookout for porn. Probably not a bad assumption, since that's what our CONSCIOUS minds are usually up to, but sometimes it just goes too far. The most famous example, I suppose, would be the barely-disguised schlong (http://www.stickylife.com/) on the cover of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Check it out.

Now, I can't imagine what point Disney's artists (http://www.stickylife.com/) were trying to make with this, unless it's to say that gold-plated tally-whackers were a key feature of early undersea architecture. But here's what's truly frightening. Take a look at the octopus bitch's expression. I wouldn't want the willie anywhere near that level of feminine hostility. She could easily go all Lorena Bobbitt on someone and sell the thing at a bait shop.

Nightcrawlers, indeed.

And finally, the old trick of hiding the word "SEX" in an advertisement. It's shown up everywhere from cigarette ads, liquor billboards, to (once again) Disney movies. Yep, those perverted Imagineers managed to sneak "SEX" into The Lion King.

In print advertising, you'd be amazed at how often ice cubes are the culprit(http://www.stickylife.com/). Take a look at the gin ad below. Although the cubes are stacked vertically (can anything be stacked horizontally? Hmm, something to ponder), you can clearly see the S, E, and X. Pretty clever, no?

Now, I'm no psychologist, but I can't think that this makes that much of a difference. I prefer the more direct approach, anyway.

Turtle Wax, anyone?

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And that's a priceless bit of memorabilia right there, brought to you by, that's right, http://www.stickylife.com/.