A YouTube video featuring a "single frame" shot from a McDonald's ad in the middle of Food Network's Iron Chef has some convinced that the company is sneaking subliminal messages into the network's programming.
First of all, I think the offending image is more than one frame. It goes by quickly, but even at normal speed you can at least glimpse that something is there. Second, the practice of inserting one-frame ads goes back to the '50s when it was thought that such a gimmick would actually plant subliminal messages in people's brains. This was proved false almost as quickly when studies confirmed that the frames simply weren't long enough for anyone to truly register them.
So why did that McDonald's image appear in the middle of the show? I have no idea, and neither does anyone else. My assumption is that it was merely a glitch. The idea that it was some kind of sinister move on the part of McDonald's to get people to eat there seems more than a little far fetched to me. Call me a pawn in the Great Fast Food Conspiracy, but I'm leaning toward Occam's razor on this one.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-29-2008 @ 1:43PM
cdogstar said...
Cdogstar says:McDonalds is my Arch Enemy they use old & new age weapons to destroy the poor...
http://cdogstar.blogspot.com
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1-22-2007 @ 3:41PM
Mike K. said...
I saw the McD's image in the corner and assumed it was an ad, and there were other times during the episode that there were other small ads like this used... not that I remember what they were offhand, but i did notice them and think they were somewhat odd, especially when the Iron Chef promotes such haute cuisine.
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1-22-2007 @ 3:45PM
Mike K. said...
Ok, I watched the above video, and have comment further.
What I thought was being referred to was a small corner ad, not the full-screen frame of the "I'm Loving It". I don't recall seeing that when I watched the show last night. I think I already deleted the episode, so I can't go back and check.
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1-22-2007 @ 4:25PM
Akbar Fazil said...
My money is on it being a glitch.
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1-22-2007 @ 4:31PM
Erica said...
Have you seen the new ads with Jeremy Miller ("Growing Pains" fame) It was one of those, "WHAT?" moments.
I believe they are spooking all thos VH1 shows were the actors give their take on a subject.
Whatever the reason, Ben Seaver isn't going to get me to go to McDonald's. I'm a Wendy's girl!!
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1-22-2007 @ 6:20PM
MacGuffin said...
Wow, for some strange reason, all-of-a-sudden, I am hungry for McDonald's.
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1-22-2007 @ 6:33PM
TVGenius said...
Sometimes the YouTube player/maybe my computer drops the offending frame altogether when played at full speed, so before you post you can't see it, it is really there (sometimes).
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1-23-2007 @ 1:19AM
InL.A. said...
Someone should tell that crummy McDonald's that Food Network is for REAL food, not sugary fat and chicken parts.
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1-23-2007 @ 11:09AM
tom_squick said...
I want a Big Mac
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5-21-2007 @ 5:37AM
pro sumer said...
I've seen lot's of these half second 'glitches' on comedy central;
...it's as if they are cueing up the next commercial and let a little thru, then I noticed these blips have no relation to any commercial played during the show...
It's the silhouette of a crouching man with a pistol with the caption "see it for yourself" that alarmed me more than usual.
Is this for the marines or a video game? ...either way I'm sure the FCC is getting paid under the table to blink at just the right time.
jeebus, help us
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7-17-2007 @ 1:09AM
Smurf said...
(1) Iron Chef America , is highly valued by the food network , being a show with high ratings.So it being a glitch , is highly impossible. I'm Sure the corporation checks for problems before episodes air.
(2) McDonald's cant just "sneak" something in , it has to be placed there and then ignored by officials. Seeing how McDonald's is one of the , if not the largest corporation in the world , I'm sure they would have no problem dropping a quarter billion to play frequent quickie ads on shows with high ratings.
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12-31-2007 @ 10:53PM
Ben said...
At the risk of sounding paranoid people do still use subliminal advertising I pulled one from the sunday times in the UK a few months ago, despite all the criticism about subliminials from those like Brian Wilson Keys in the 70s etc.The Only McDonalds ad that ever made me want to buy from them was a musical on featuring Jason Alexander (george from seinfeld) I thought they desreved some custom just for making me laugh so much other than that like alot of people i have a clown phobia so Ronal McDonald just freaks me out frankly.
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12-31-2007 @ 10:59PM
Ben said...
Video of George making a fool of himself in a McDonalds ad along with some other celebrity ads.
http://www.adtofavourites.co.uk/index.html
In there prefame shame section for anyone who is interested it is quite amusing.
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