The Truth of Advertisements

            Health is a very prevalent issue in today’s society. With obesity rates steadily rising individuals are looking for the cheapest, simplest, and quickest way to shed pounds and maintain their health. Companies offer different alternatives to get healthy; a sample are exercise DVDs, prescription pills and healthy food items. Companies do this solely to sell their product and make a profit. Most of these options and programs work initially to take off some excess weight, but as soon as the routine is quit and one returns to their old habits, the weight is put back on. In order to maintain health one must continually watch their food intake and exercise. Food advertisers spring forward and take advantage of people’s weight loss desire to sell their product, claiming their items are low-calorie or trans-fat free. This appears beneficial to our society, but don’t be fooled by the misleading facts and perceptions. Food advertisements—especially those directed at children—are inaccurate, aimed at processed food, and detrimental to our health.

The American culture is influenced greatly by the food advertisements we see on televisions, billboards, and packaging. Advertisers use different methods to entice people to buy food or to visit a restaurant. Advertisements are directed at groups of people for different reasons: socioeconomic class, vegetarianism, organic lover, and so on. Choosing an audience is the first step in creating an advertisement; audiences are extremely important since they are the ones who ultimately buy the product. In relation to food, audiences differ based on their income level, health-food preference, or type of convenience they want—fast food versus sit down restaurant. Advertisers first need to designate what the overall message is based on the chosen audience. Current messages can clearly be articulated; Subway’s slogan “Eat Fresh” is a good example of promoting to people’s desire for fresh food and the perception that their food is healthy.

According to NationMaster.com the United States has the largest obesity rate in the world, with 30.6% of the population being classified as obese. This is significantly higher than European countries such as Spain and Germany which are around 13% (NationMaster.com, Heath Statistics). High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer clearly illustrate the short and long-term side effects of obesity. Drastic and immediate changes need to take place in individual’s daily lives in order to protect their health.

With an obesity rate surpassing an alarming 30% among adults in the United States, there is a need for change. According to Food and Culture, “Americans eat about 25 percent more calories today than they did in 1980” (2). Consuming more calories leads to an increase in weight; to combat this issue it is important to eat healthier and smaller portions. Advertisers ignore this fact, as they are paid to promote products and entice consumers to buy more of their customer’s product. Proclaiming you will be unable to stop eating because it is ‘so good’ works in favor of the advertiser’s customer and not in favor of healthier eating habits. Consumers may believe they are getting the most delicious and healthy food, but advertisers know this technique is just getting consumers to buy more of their customer’s product. Certain ads geared towards men portray that the more you eat the manlier you are. Young men compete against their friends to see how much they can eat; they are blind as to what is going into their body since their focus is on winning the competition. 

A major health concern is that food advertisements are strongly directed towards children. Food advertisements can be seen on television, billboards, movies, websites, and even in schools. My high school had a vending machine that only sold Coke products. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in both high school and middle school, there would be Domino’s Pizza. Selling certain brands in school will urge children to buy these items outside of school. Certain companies promote their brands in schools targeting the youth to start buying their product at a young age.

Michele Roberts and Simone Pettigrew from the University of Western Australia did a research assignment, observing different television food advertisements. They found drastic results all pointing towards the conclusion that advertisements directed at children are for processed, unhealthy food items such as sugary drinks and fast-food. They watched 28.5 hours of television and analyzed the 212 food ads shown out of the 950 total ads. Breaking down the 212 ads into groups, foods with high fats and sugars represented an alarming 72% of the advertisements. Only 3% of these ads represented fruits or vegetables. The remaining groups on a food chart–dairy, meats, and grains—represented the remaining 25% (Roberts and Pettigrew 357-360). Interestingly, this is completely opposite of what the current food diagram looks like: 50% fruits and vegetables with a very small percentage of sweets. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, not even 25% of youth are getting the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. The degree of processed food has significantly increased in daily food consumption, clearly displayed by these statistics.

Children represent a large segment of the television advertising market, while teenagers have become the focus of Internet advertising. The technological boom has left many teenagers in front of the computer for hours; they spend their time playing online games, completing homework, watching television shows, or even just browsing the web. This has opened the door for advertisers to specifically target teenagers and promote their customer’s products online. Teenagers doze off while watching television, but they are active, attentive users on the computer. An article in the Natural News by David Gutierrez notes that teenagers spend an average of $46 for online purchases each month, more than both children and adults. Additionally, Gutierrez states youth “are significantly more likely to participate in online marketing campaigns than other age groups” (5). Spending more time on the computer and participating in marketing claims, teenagers are easy targets for companies’ ads. Pursuing and specifically targeting teenagers for their money has not raised many concerns; the real concern is that most of these advertisements are for junk foods and sugary drinks. Instead of focusing and promoting healthy habits at a young age, advertisers are bombarding youth promoting their food is the newest trend and will make you popular. The reality is many of these foods and energy drinks are filled with sugars and high calories. Advertisers have shifted their techniques to utilize new technology determining where people spend most of their time.

Food advertisements, whether on the Internet or television, are misleading in their facts. Food and Culture put out an article, Analyzing Food Ads, which clearly shows misconceived perceptions of ads. Milky Bar chocolate claims they are made from milk that was hardened into the bar; this suggests the chocolate bar is only solidified milk, ignoring all of the added preservatives and sugars (Food and Culture). These advertisements alter one’s perception of what the product offers to your health. Visual News posted illustrations of what fast food actually looks like compared to what advertisers promote. The actual Burger King Whopper placed next to the one pictured in the advertisement was half as tall with lettuce and tomatoes missing. McDonald’s meat patties were tinted purple while Taco Bell’s tacos were layered with grease. Advertisers use creative imagery to make their product appear more appealing. The alarming pictures prompt me to wonder if this food should be sold at all.

A further misconception is about the nutritional value of food. Panera Bread promotes their new low-fat mango smoothie on a banner inside their store. This smoothie may only have 1.5 grams of fat but has an overwhelming 48 grams of sugar (Panera Bread). This represents current advertising trends; an option may be appear ‘healthier’ by being sugar-free, but it can still contain hidden enormous amounts of calories.  Advertisements don’t point out the drawbacks of their items. These misleading ads are a driving cause towards individuals overeating and not consuming the right amount of nutrition in a day.

As opposed to all of the negative connotations seen thus far in ads, some food commercials can be beneficial to society. One Subway poster ad clearly illustrates the benefits from eating at their restaurant. Their overall message—“eat fresh”—is displayed at the center of the ad below the name Subway. By placing this slogan at the center, with different healthy choices of subs around the sides, attention is immediately directed at “eat fresh” and the healthy choices. Other attempts towards nutrition are in the subs themselves; many are filled with fresh vegetables and one sub choice is even called Veggie Delite. At a restaurant like Subway one is able to control the calories consumed by choosing their own toppings. This advertisement is not directed at a specific age group; thus, it is inferred from the research I’ve observed that advertisements for health are directed towards all ages. On the contrary, junk food and sugary drinks largely represent advertisements directed at children.

Panera Bread also offers healthier options. An article in the Bloomberg Businessweek states that the breads from Panera are made “from dough that contains no unhealthy trans fats” (3). This article claims that Panera targets those concerned with eating healthy food. Due to a change in society’s view on health, many restaurants—such as Panera Bread—have changed their menus to display calorie counts. A main cause of this was the result of individuals not knowing the nutrition of an item they purchased and ate. Counting calories is a method some use to track the amount of food they consume in a day. These advertisements are a result of the change in people’s diets.  

The American society is continually adapting to changes around us. Currently, there is a strong trend towards eating healthy and maintaining fit. These goals are in conflict with many of the food advertisements we see around us every day; whether it is on the morning news commercials, internet, billboards, or even at school, advertisements influence many decisions we make. Every day we are urged to buy the newest “deal” at a fast-food restaurant or the low-fat smoothie from Panera Bread. Food advertisements are inaccurate and deceiving relative to what they appear to be displaying. Roberts, Pettigrew, and Gutierrez both support the claim that advertisements focused on children are mainly for processed food. Bad habits created during youth are detrimental to one’s health in the future. Advertisements are not only harmful to our health but are misleading and deceitful in their facts.

With over a third of our society overweight and obese, there needs to be a revolutionary cultural food change in people’s eating habits. This needs to start with eliminating ads promoting food that is unhealthy for any age group. Being trans-fat free does not guarantee entire healthiness. If companies alter the product they are promoting they will be able to sell more healthy options while also appealing towards the greater good. Adding a side of fruit instead of a starch (bread) is a simple way to change one’s diet. Food advertisements are the start to a revolutionary change in American’s eating habits.