James Vicary

James Vicary was a marketing executive who claimed in the 1950s that he conducted an experiment in a movie theater, secretly flashing messages like "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Eat Popcorn" on the screen for fractions of a second. He asserted this subliminal advertising increased sales. However, Vicary later admitted his experiment was fabricated and that there is no credible scientific evidence supporting the idea that subliminal messages can influence consumer behavior in this way. His case remains a famous example of the controversy surrounding subliminal messaging and its purported effects.