The Art of Advertising

Freedman and Jurafsky use potato chip advertising to show the relationship between food, language, and socioeconomic status in their article, Authenticity in America. They investigate the different ways an item (food) is presented (language) to a socioeconomic class. These variations come from high-flautin, health, distinction, and authenticity. For lower-economic classes, words describing the foods are less complex. In Freedman and Jurafsky’s study the expensive bag of chips had a reading level of eleventh grade while the less expensive bag of chips had an eighth grade reading level. Advertisers tend to complexify labels and packaging for more expensive items designated for higher socioeconomic classes. Another item Freedman and Jurafsky focus on is the presence of health facts on packages. I was surprised by the fact that health was mentioned six more times on expensive bag of chips than inexpensive bags. These facts, on health or authenticity, target different audiences. Distinction, their final example of language, advertisers use to differentiate one brand. This is done by comparisons or linguistic negations. Advertisers of food companies are appealing to different economic classes through language. The advertisements depend upon the complexity of the words, the authenticity of what is said, distinction, and use of health words. Overall, Freedman and Jurafsky argue that language is a means to target different economic classes.

Their processes of food advertisings are also seen in grocery store labels. Lakewinds—a grocery store near my house—targets middle to upper economic classes. Their logo includes the words ‘natural food’ underneath the name Lakewinds. Health, one of Freedman and Jurafsky’s principles of language, is used here to appeal to higher socioeconomic classes. Grocery stores also use their paper and plastic bags as a way to advertise their store. Another store near my house, Lund’s, incorporates grapes and bananas into their label on the bag to appeal to higher economic classes; fruit implies healthy eating and more expensive items. Whether it is individual food items or grocery store labels, language is used by advertisers to target specific socioeconomic classes.