5 Tricks of Misleading Advertising

If you haven't noticed already, everyone and their mother seems to be on a health kick. Diets, Exercise, eating healthy, switching to non-fat / sugar-free / 0 carb ... who knows what else! Well believe it or not...Advertisers have caught on as well... they know that in order for people to buy and consume their products it has to be attractive to their consumers. And what do their consumers want They want to be able to consume the products they love without the guilt of high calorie, high carb foods. While most advertisers are under regulation and are not allowed to advertise certain things that aren't even closely related to their product...they have found tricks to promote their products in the best way possible. I did some research and found a blog that had 10 great tips for consumers to look for when purchasing product....some are pretty unbelievable!

1."Less Sugar"

Example Product : Heinz ( Reduced Sugar ) Ketchup

 

The first food advertising trick has to do with the common “reduced sugar”. Reduced sugar Heinz ketchup only has 1 gram of sugar per serving which is 75% less sugar than their regular ketchup. And you all know sugar is pretty unhealthy if consumed a lot, So you'd most likely choose this one right??

 

Well the trick with these reduced sugar, or less sugar products is that they replace the sugar with artificial sweeteners. Sucralose, an artificial sweetener, is listed as one of the ingredients. Artificial sweeteners have found to have negative side affects on your body...so maybe stick with your regular ketchup this time.

 

 

 

2. "Low Carb"

Example Product :  0 Trans Fat Flour Tortillas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many low carb products hit the market a few years back as more and more people started to really watch their health. This low carb tortilla only 6 net grams of carbohydrates. The other 11 grams of carbohydrates are fiber. Sounds awesome right! You can finally eat all the tortillas you want!

Well even though the 0 grams of trans fat this product claims to have  there is still hydrogenated oil which is not healthy in itself.  However, based on FDA regulations, if the product has less than .5 grams of any fat per serving, they are allowed to list it as 0 grams. Misleading?...uh yeah.

 

3. "Contains Healthy Antioxidants
Example Product : Cherry 7UP 

So its a hot day and your craving your favorite soda... 7UP. Go to the local gas station and wow! 7UP contains healthy antioxidants..what a bonus! News flash...any antioxidants that might be present as a result of the cherry flavoring is completely cancelled out and has no nutrition whatsoever. While 7UP never claims to be "healthy" per say they do advertise this to make it seem better then it really is.

 

4. "Whole Grain"

Example Product : Trix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems as though every cereal you come across has a "Whole Grain" stamped across the front. So if its whole grain it must be healthy right? Wrong....  Claiming health benefits is one of the biggest food advertising tricks in the book. If you look at the ingredients  the first one listed is whole grain corn. Ingredients are listed in order of weight from highest to lowest. Now, take a look at the second ingredient – sugar. The third? Corn meal. Forth? Corn Syrup. Wow..that sounds like a nutritious breakfast right? Hmmm...maybe the "tricks" aren't just for kids..

 

5. " Heart Healthy"

Example : Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal

 

Heart Healthy Quaker Weight Control

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure you've all seen the Quaker oatmeal that says “Weight Control” in big letters on the front and who doesn’t want to lose weight? Unfortunately this is another food trick... claiming that a product is good for the heart and will help you manage your weight when it clearly wont.

 In the ingredients you’ll see maltodextrin which is basically glucose – one of the highest glycemic processed substances in the market. = Not healthy. What this means is that maltodextrin is easily digestible and is absorbed quickly by the blood stream – causing a surge of insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone. You’ll also see acesulfame and sucralose – 2 artificial sweeteners which are not even close to helping with weight control or heart health.

Well that's a pretty general list of what to look out for on your next trip to the grocery store. Just make sure you read ingredients and watch for keywords like Right, Smart, or Healthy – these are all important keywords that advertisers use to draw you in and make you believe that their product is better then the competitors. Have fun shopping!

How Fast Food Advertising Affects Childhood Obesity

Hey Everyone! Now I'm sure all of you have heard about the increase in childhood obesity in the news. It seems as though every week your hear about how schools are cutting back on high fat content foods, finding healthy alternatives, and teaching children about health and wellness. Now while I personally think childhood obesity has relates directly to parenting I'll save that another day and focus on how advertising is directly affecting the obesity rates among children. Most fast food is not healthy...we know that... but did you know that last year the fast food industry spent more than 4.2 BILLION dollars on advertising. Crazy right. Guess where most of that is targeted to..thats right, children. From 2003 preschoolers viewed fast food advertising 34% more... Think thats shocking ? Take a look at these...

Its spread to the web....

• McDonald's web-based marketing starts with children as young as age 2 at Ronald.com.
• McDonald's and Burger King created sophisticated websites with advergames and virtual worlds to engage children (e.g., McWorld.com, HappyMeal.com, and ClubBK.com).

And its working...

• Eighty-four percent of parents reported taking their child to a fast food restaurant at least once a week; 66% reported going to McDonald's in the past week.
• Forty percent of parents reported that their child asks to go to McDonald's at least once a week; 15% of preschoolers ask to go every day.

But what about the healthy options you say...?

• Just 17% of regular menu items qualified as healthy choices.
• Snacks and dessert items contained as many as 1,500 calories, which is five times more than the 200 to 300 calorie snack for active teens recommended by the American Dietetic Association.
• The average restaurant had 15 signs promoting specific menu items, but just 4% promoted healthy menu items.
• Subway offered healthy sides and beverages 60% of the time, making it the only fast food restaurant in our study to routinely provide healthy choices. 
• ^^ Hurray for Subway! :)

So in conclusion....

• Teens between the ages of 13 and 18 purchased 800 to 1,100 calories in an average fast food visit.
• At least 30% of calories in menu items purchased by children and teens were from sugar and saturated fat.
• At most restaurants, young people purchased at least half of their maximum daily recommended sodium intake in just one fast food meal.
• Teens ordered more fast food than any other age group during non-meal times after school and in the evening.
  
  
  Honestly, While I was just reading these statistics made me cringe. While I eventually would like to get into Advertising and Promotion in the Food Industry, I dont know if I could personally work to make children obese. There are so many alternatives to eating right. I will admit, there are times when there is nothing I want more then a burger and fries. But think about this parents. While you may not be able to effect the advertising your children are being exposed to, they are looking to you to lead the way. Children mimic what they see. If you provide them with healthy food options and show them that playing outside can be fun and be a way to excersice they will grow up and healthy and ready to take on the world.

The REAL Organic Food Industry

As most of you know, the organic & natural food industry has boomed over the past few years. More and more people are now taking their health and nutrition seriously and as a result switching to natural and organic ingredients. I personally wasn't sure what this exactly meant? I knew the basics, eating clean and eating healthy will not only improve your health but will also help with obesity and risk of diabetes. But with all this advertisers saying " No preservatives" " Whole-Grain" " Organically Grown" what is the real difference that and the food we've all been eating all these years? Are Advertisers lying to us?....is this food really that much better?

I decided to do some research and found that foods labeled "Organic" are guarenteed to have no no toxic synthetic pesticides, toxic synthetic herbicides, or chemical NPK fertilizers are used in production, and no antibiotics or growth hormones are given to animals. Organic producers are also watched and reviewed intently by inspectors to ensure they are holding true to these requirements. So..what is natural? While natural foods are considered "healthier" then regular foods they may not be. Many assume Natrual foods are less processed or do not contain horomones, antibiotics, or artificial flabors. But in the US. there are no regulations or inspection reviewing Natural products. This means that many producers claim there foods are "all natural" while the product still contains heavily processed ingriedients.

To make it simple I found this great chart comparing Organic, Natural, and Conventional food and what really seperates them. Check out http://www.organicitsworthit.org/natural/natural-vs-organic if you'd like to read more!

 

 

 

 

 

Social Commerce - Resturant / Food Advertising

Heyyoo Bloggers! I know I know... I haven't blogged in quite some time, unfortunately being a college student requires me to constantly run around like a chicken with its head cut off! But for this blog post I wanted to take a turn from my ordinary blogs... a little less foodie a little more business-y.  So the other day in my Digital Advertising class we were discussing how Social Commerce has grown to be a staple in social media and advertising. So for those of you who don't know what exactly Social Commerce is, its simply another form of online shopping or using social media to interact, collaborate with others while buying. So take for an example, you recently heard of a new restaurant in town. Do you decide to go check it out because :

A. The building / website are appealing
B. The commercial was funny
C. Your best friend told you " This is thee place to go, you just have to try their fried pickles!"


Now if your like most people you would've chosen option C. because who doesn't value the opinion of their best friend right!? So exactly how does this play into restaurant and food advertising? Many sites now provide reviews, rating, and comments that allow people to determine if something is good just by a click of the mouse or keypad. Take Foursquare for example, a mobile app that allows you to "check in" to local restaurants and rate them. Looking for the best tenderloin in town? This apps for you. It allows you to check out all the best spots and be able to stay away from the local dive. Social Commerce has greatly altered how restaurants and food advertise their products. The connection and communication between consumers has grown, It is now the future of advertising and a huge push towards word of mouth promotion. So if you really like something, don't be afraid to share it! Tell all your friends, tell your family, tell your mailman! You get the picture ...and hey while your at it telling your friends about " this great blog you just HAVE to read!" wouldn't be to shabby either ! ;)