In previous blogs I mentioned the method by which I “watch” television. Typically, I utilize my ears more than my eyes. Most moms will tell you that watching television (even the news) is a rare luxury. It is for me anyway. In addition, in our home the television may be on, but that doesn’t necessarily mean someone is in front of it (one of my pet peeves).
What’s more, in our household “watching” could be defined as any number of things. For example, did you know it was possible for some husbands to “watch” television through a newspaper? Or, how many of you have children who can “watch” TV while playing a handheld video game, pushing toy cars with their feet, and fighting with a sibling?
All of this is in stark contrast to my former days spent watching TV for a living. (Okay, for a little spending money). In college I worked for a communications professor who hired students to look for examples of subliminal advertising in network programming. I thought about my former professor the other day when I read about McDonald’s having to go on the defensive about a would-be subliminal ad.
DID YOU SEE IT?
Recently, a McDonald’s logo flashed by on an episode of the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.” The clip showed a brief red flash, nearly invisible to the naked eye, at a point where two men are holding up glasses. Even if I was watching the episode I doubt I would have recognized it, but one savvy watcher did see it and hours later the clip appeared on YouTube, slowed down to reveal that for one frame, the screen was showing the McDonald’s logo with the words, “I’m lovin’ it.”
As a result, the fast food giant was accused of employing subliminal advertising—an accusation the company vehemently denied. In the end Food Network executives stepped in and admitted the flash was a glitch—not subliminal advertising.
“It was a technical error on our part and not a subliminal message as suggested by a Web site running the slow-motion playback,” a Food Network spokesman told news reporters. “It has been corrected for all future airings.”
According to Food Network executives, the McDonald’s logo usually airs where the network reveals sponsors for the program and “nothing nefarious is suspected in the error.”
Did you see it?
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