A Projective Assessment of the Effects of Freudian Sexual Symbolism in Liquor Advertisements

Abstract

The present investigation provided a projective assessment of the effects of Freudian symbolism in advertising. 48 male and 48 female undergraduates served as subjects. Liquor advertisements containing phallic and vaginal symbols and advertisements lacking such symbols were presented to the experimental and control groups, respectively. Subjects were then administered a standard Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). All subjects believed that they were participating in a study of memory and retrieval. Clark's scoring system for TAT sexuality content was used to assess the effects of both sets of advertisements. Analyses of variance indicated group differences for two of the three dependent TAT sexuality variables. Results supported the psychoanalytic assumption that genital symbols promote sexual arousal without an observer's conscious awareness. Specifically, the effects of the utilization of Freudian symbolism as a manipulative variable in advertising were demonstrated.