For Good or Bad
How does Advertising Affect our Food Choices?
We’ve all been there. You’re relaxing, watching your favorite show when before you know it, you’re staring at a triple bacon cheeseburger on the screen. Can you resist the temptation to get that burger when it’s being shoved in your face? Maybe, but what about ordering it through an app made for your convenience?
Resisting junk food temptation can be very difficult when you consider the effectiveness of advertising combined with the convenience of on-demand food. One thing that I find interesting is that it seems only junk food is advertised with such intensity. Why is that? I think it’s because we don’t need it. I think our body knows what’s good for us and what’s not.
In this article, we are going to explore how much advertising, for good or bad, plays into our food choices.
Advertising has played a critical role in forming our preferences and choices when it comes to food. We are bombarded with advertisements for a wide variety of food products through just about every kind of media there is. These advertisements not only give us the lowdown on new products but also create powerful associations and desires.
One reason advertising works is that it creates cravings. Food advertisements feature mouthwatering imagery and tantalizing taglines with a catchy jingle. Think about it, how often do you get the song from a commercial stuck in your head? Almost daily, I even caught my son singing the jingle for a local plumbing company, I know that’s not food but it speaks to the power of advertising.
That triple bacon cheeseburger commercial mentioned above will entice consumers with hot, steamy meat, slowly melting cheese, and a succulent sauce cascading over the side.
This seductive scene is designed to elicit a visceral, primal reaction. These commercials are so powerful they can make your mouth water and your stomach growl like the hungry bear that you are.
Would this sort of advertising work with healthier food choices?
The advertising of food is not just about tantalizing our tastebuds, it also shapes our perceptions of what is desirable and socially acceptable. Don’t worry, we will tell you what you should desire. In our algorithmic world of curated advertisements, that statement has never been more true than it is right now.
Furthermore, brands promote certain foods as indulgent, luxurious, or trendy. This can lead consumers to associate these products with social status or personal satisfaction. For example, a light beer advertisement may suggest that by drinking their product you could experience what would be considered the epitome of a good time.
Food advertisements frequently make health claims, touting products as "low fat," "all-natural," or "organic." However, many of these claims can be misleading. For instance, a cereal labeled "low fat" may still be high in sugar, which can be equally harmful to health. Such misleading claims can lead consumers to make choices they believe are healthier when, in reality, they are not.
If you want to read more about sugar you should check out one of my previous pieces called,
Do they need to put sugar in that?
As a chef I love to cook and play around with new ingredients, but take a look at any random product on the grocery store shelf, there's a good chance that it contains at least some added sugar. It seems that a wide variety of our everyday foods are laden with this sweet substance.
Dishonest advertising has often targeted vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. The inexperience as well as the inability to discern bullshit makes children especially vulnerable to intense marketing schemes.
Devious marketers may target the elderly with products that are billed as healthy or beneficial, but often upon further inspection, the ingredients can be in direct conflict with the claim made by advertisers.
Just about every brand out there would love it if we were to eat as much of their product as we felt like. Throwing caution to the wind, not considering the overall effect on our health.
The companies making these products will say that they put the suggested serving size on the package but does anybody pay attention to that….No!
It can be hard to navigate through the constant bombardment of advertising but it can be done. We can be more vigilant when it comes to reading labels to make sure that we know what is in the food that is being sold to us. We can take it upon ourselves to understand what nutrition and a healthy diet looks like for us.
Food advertising is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can create cravings, shape perceptions, and normalize unhealthy choices, as well as contribute to the rise of diet-related health issues.
On the other hand, it can also be a source of information and inspiration for making healthier choices. I do this by walking down the snack aisle and telling myself that I don’t need any of that crap. Does it work? Sometimes….maybe.
By being aware of the extreme tactics used in advertising and taking proactive steps to educate ourselves we can mitigate the negative effects and make more informed and nutritious food choices in an increasingly advertised world.
Ultimately, the power to choose what we eat lies within us, and with the right knowledge and mindset, we can resist the tantalizing effects of this deliciously intense marketing.
I think there's some (limited) value in simply recognizing that we're being manipulated.
But damn if I don't want some Doritos tonight!
What also doesn’t help is all the food vlogs. I’m inundated with people eating food in reels. Idk wtf was wrong with me today but I got take out and then was still hungry afterwards? I’m usually pretty good about eating well consistently and feeling full.