Deceptions of food marketing
Are Americans stupid people? Of course they are not. However, an isolated outside look at our culture might make Americans look simple minded. Our media sources, newspapers, magazines, and television programs appear to be aimed at specific target markets. Advertising and marketing are particularly dumbed-down. While most people are vaguely aware of the bias of advertising in the media, many do not often look at advertisements and realize how outlandish these ads are. Magazine ads for food exemplify this sort of ridiculousness. These ads try to misrepresent a food item as something sexy, healthy, or a vital part of having a wholesome family. An example of this misrepresentation can be found on the Stouffer’s food website (www.stouffers.com). The website is marketing all sorts of ready to heat and eat meals. The ad in question is for chicken and vegetable stew that is supposedly a “Slowfire Classic”. The pictures and the deceiving text of the website imply that this food is something you should eat when going on a camping trip or spending time with family. Large, succulent chunks of chicken, fresh, colorful carrots and tasty chunks of potatoes show this to be a healthy meal fit
Most importantly, food advertising is deliberately targeted to give certain false impressions. Many people today are so busy that they must shop and eat with convenience, time, and efficiency in mind. Since today’s working class families have so little time to cook they must sometimes utilize frozen dinners. Product websites like the one for Stouffers are meant to give good first impressions while promoting their product. People who only have time to browse the internet or skim through magazines are unlikely to think about what the real product is really like. Choosing food wisely and with nutrition in mind is not commonly a high priority. With this in mind, marketing experts formulate ads to make a good first impression. Similarly, single fathers, or men, also want a hearty, healthy meal. Since many men do not cook, simple and ready to heat meals seem to provide the best solution. A single father has one of the most difficult jobs possible. Not only must he work all the time, he also has to play the role of homemaker and mother. He has to do twice as much work as a set of parents and with less moral support. It takes that much more effort for him to provide a home cooked meal and a nurturing environment to eat it in. Obviously, a subtly deceptive food ad would dupe a single father into buying a food based on the belief that it is healthy, tasty, and quick to prepare. for the whole family. In fact, nowhere does the ad state that this is a froze
Some topics in this essay:
Marketing Americans,
Stouffers Similarly,
food marketing,
home cooked,
frozen dinners,
single father,
ready heat,
family dinner,
healthy meal,
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Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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