Food Commercials

I’ve always known advertising is a huge way to elicit consumer consumption. Marketing companies identify a market and capitalize on promoting their product as access to their desires. For example, car commercials seem to have a standardized formula. Silver = expensive. Red = fast. A yellow SUV speeding through muddy terrain? That’s just plain cool.
The real problem, however, is the food industry’s use of advertising to influence our consumption patterns. This is an issue because of the frequency of advertisements and media in our daily lives. With these messages constantly surrounding us, it’s difficult to untangle the promoted message from reality.

We’re talking about a real “all about the benjamins” prescription. Companies often invest millions in researching their market base. If the campaign is successful, however, profits increase tenfold. Examining the wonder bread commercials in class highlighted the way food commercials evolve to meet consumer culture. Michael Pollan corroborated this point by exemplifying the weird claims packaged foods EXCLAIM! And I mean “EXCLAIM!” Because look around the grocery store- do you have to actually pick up the box of cheerios and read the fine print to see that “cheerios lower cholesterol”? Or is this broadcasted in bold print (encased in a red cartoon bubble) the top, right corner ?? “Lowers cholesterol,” “low-fat,” “rich in antioxidants,” “organic;” these claims all cater the current consumer desire to eat healthy and be thin.
So, I have started exploring some food commercials on YouTube to look at the messages presented and (attempt) to ascertain the reasoning behind them. Hey- I’m not procrastinating! I’m adding to my knowledge base.

RedBull clearly exemplifies the ability of food to bring about desired traits.
RedBull

This was an interesting find- Shaq in fast food commercials. Shaq appeared in both Burger King and Taco Bell commercials. First, this points to the idea that simply pairing an A-list celebrity with a food item can increase sales. Second, this series of commercials implies the food item really does not matter. I assume both BK and TB saw an increase in sales and I assume consumers did not mind or even notice the parallel commercial. If it works, it works!
Shaq: Burger King
Shaq: Taco Bell

Pairing Shaq with fast food likely equates Shaq’s athletic ability with fast food. Similarly, pairing a thin, A-list female celebrity can equate her physical appeal to the product. Check out Kelly Clarkson in the Vitamin Water commercial. There is common trend to pair women with more “diet” oriented products. The one that immediately comes to mind is Kristie Alley and Jenny Craig.
Vitamin Water

Ta-Da! Proof! Heidi Klum, the supermodel, featured in a diet coke commercial. Conversely, the advertisements for (regular) coke featured on YouTube are predominated by males.
Diet Coke

In the first-ever diet coke commercial, both men and women are featured, but there is an emphasis on the “Rockette” dancers and glamorous women (and men).
First Diet Coke Commercial

Another:
Coke Light

The hunky male is carrying diet coke, to the pleasure of every female in the office, but he’s also consuming….. Is the commercial focusing on the male drinking diet coke or the females in the office who now equate diet coke with this hunky male?
Diet Coke: Hunky male

So here’s the shift. Sure, Courtney is “in the kitchen” and providing for her husband, but she can drink coke too!
Arquettes Coke

And finally! Perhaps Diet Coke was attempting to expand their consumer market. This “LOL” commercial is titled “Be a Man.”
Diet Coke: Be a Man

This 2006 Nutrigrain commercial markets Nutrigrain bars as a way to “feel great.” However, this commercial is so bizarre and seemingly so unrelated to the point that I nearly forget what is being advertised. So what’s more important? The advertisement or the product?
Nutrigrain 2006

If it’s possible, let’s try to imagine an advertisement-free world. Imagine that technological advancement and the availability of processed food remains the same. Now, as Pollan put it, all foods are “silent.” So who wins???