The Art Behind Marketing

Advertisements do not look as complex as they really are. We see it as a business trying to persuade us, but it actually takes a lot of hard work to make it what it is. Many people try to open up their own businesses but in the world of competition many do not survive. When a rare restaurant survives it becomes what many chain restaurants are today. McDonald's has many people behind their "delicious" hamburgers. Getting your product out there and sold is a tougher task then many would assume. Next time you see a commercial think about how many people were involved in make it and making the restaurant what it is today.

Short and Simple

Many restaurants to catch peoples’ eyes use slogans. “Eat Fresh” from Subway, “I’m Lovin’ It” from McDonald’s, and other catchy, short phrases are used to make you remember their names. They have done a great job with the ones that people can recite by memory. They are catchy and when you are hungry you often think of those restaurants first, and are more drawn into eating at them. I know I often think of the mottos when I cannot decide what to eat and four out of the five times end up at a place where I know their slogan. Even when shopping at a grocery store I usually go for the foods with the slogans I remember from television or advertisements. How many slogans can you think of? What is the catchiest motto you have heard?

Visualize

I’ve noticed a lot now more than ever that the visualization of the marketing of food products really gets me. When I went shopping at Publix with my mom the other day I noticed picking all the foods that had more of a visual appeal when it came down to choosing between two. Publix brand is usually plainer and boring looking where to the actual brand is way more visually appealing and I always tend to pick that one even if the cost is a little higher. I feel like since its prettier and more colorful it will be more enjoyable, but I’ve realized through doing this project that’s not the case at all. It’s all a trick to get people to buy their product and I’m a perfect example that it works on some of us, but no more for me.
Do you think you are drawn in to the visual effects of products? If so do you think you spend that much more money on the actual brands then the Publix or store brand products?

Catchy Commercials

Commercials for unhealthy foods are most commonly played on TV programs for children. The point of this is to attract the younger community because the producers know that this age group is perfect for their product. These commercials consist of catchy songs, slogans, and friendly characters in order to make a connection with the children. I mean come on, who wants to buy a cereal from a mean ugly monster?

Taco Hell

Taco Bell advertises the $2 dollar meal deal. One thinks "Oh that's awesome, let's go to Taco Bell." When you get there you see that the people don't use gloves to prepare the food. Apart from being unsanitary with how they serve the food, the food itself is greasy and to be specific, has high levels of sodium and sugar. Very high sodium levels can lead to seizures and death and high levels of sugar can increase chances of getting diabetes. My family and I were coming back from Orlando and decided to stop at Taco Bell to try it. We ate some burrito that looked good (even I fall for the delicious looking pictures) and the rest of the way home was a nightmare. I had the worst stomach ache. That was definitely the last time I went there.
After having such an atrocious experience such as the guy in the picture, would you go back?
What else do you think they add to their food?

Realization When Analyzing a Speech

I am analyzing a speech written by the CEO and Vice Chairman of McDonalds Corporation. I find it so amazing the word choice and sources he uses to try and sound credible. In his speech he presents himself as so professional and really tries to get credit for who he is and how hard he works. He talks about his past as a member of the United States Navy for ten years, and being well-informed about the football team of the school he’s delivering the speech to. He tries in the very being of the speech to hook his listeners by sounding credible. He also tries to make his company sound better by comparing it to a successful company such as Apple. During his speech he discus’s the hard times of McDonald's and the struggles to get sympathy from the listeners. The rhetoric used in this speech to Market McDonald's is shocking , and quite interesting when looking into it. Just this weekend I found myself paying more attention to the use of words, colors, and aspects of a film or TV show. I noticed a lot about the colors in fast food commercials and the word choice and imagery used in depression commercials. Its all full of marketing tricks to get us to buy the product. These company’s will do whatever works. Pay attention to the techniques next time you see an advertisement. Have you realized what draws you into commercials? Have commercials or ads ever made you buy a different name brand product then you usually buy?

Repetition

While driving on main highways or city streets everywhere I turn my head I see a billboard, sign, or an actual restaurant promoting them self. The overuse of advertisement is purposely used to pull customers in. The more they see a McDonald's or Wendy's sign, the more they are going to want McDonald's or Wendy's. This use of repetition is used for business purposes and not for the good of the people. Managers and CEO's of these restaurants do not care about the food they are giving to the people, they just care about the money they are receiving from them. By looking at the picture above you can see at least four fast food restaurants lined up one right after another. What is the purpose of that many restaurants so close to one another? What good does that do to the people?

Credibility

Many techniques are used to catch the viewer's eyes such as credibility, or the act of making something believable. Food distributers use well know people to make the audience find truth in what they say. McDonalds uses athletes from the Olympics to make people think that athletes eat their food. Athletes say things like, “You can eat what an athlete eats.” Do you really think that athletes are able to be in the Olympics after eating from McDonalds? In between events do you think that Olympic Athletes, the best of the best, eat such unhealthy foods? Just because someone says they eat something and in the commercial they are does not mean they actually eat it everyday. Do you think that everything you see and hear is true? I doubt it, so do not believe everything!
Look at the picture above, does Ronald McDonald have anything to do with all the metals won at the Olympic games?

Dangers of McDonalds

McDonald’s often shows you their nutritional fact charts, which is full of impressive-looking but really quite irrelevant facts & figures to make you think that McDonald’s could be part of your diet. What people don’t know is that the diet is high in fat, sugar, animal products and sodium, and low in fiber, vitamins and minerals. These “facts” are linked with cancers of the breast, bowel, and heart disease. McDonald's require that their "fresh lettuce leaf", for example, be treated with twelve different chemicals just to keep it the right color at the right crispness for the right length of time. It might as well be a bit of plastic. Most of the meat from any of the major chains has anything but a simple ingredients list. They add emulsifiers, preservatives, MSG, artificial colors, trans fats, and hidden ingredients under generic labels such as spices, or natural and artificial flavors.

Childhood Obesity

These days advertising is a big part of a corporation. In order to target good customers businesses aim their ads towards the age groups that are most likely to buy their products. Television commercials are featuring well know celebrities that get the viewer’s attention. Kids are convinced that fast food is healthy because these restaurants show celebrities like Audrina Patridge, from “The Hills” and Kim Kardashian, from “The Kardashians,” both staring in Carl’s Jr. advertisements on TV. Audrina stars in a commercial in a bikini for the Carl’s Jr. Teriyaki Burger. She uses catchy sayings like “even during bikini season I have time for a Teriyaki Burger.” False advertising like this makes young kids think that you can still maintain a fit body like hers even after eating these burgers filled with greasy fats. McDonalds also uses athletes and their sponsorship of the Olympics to make think kids that their foods are healthy even when playing sports. Happy Meals are supposed to make kids “happy,” which they might do, but they don’t make their body so happy with all the saturated fats. Athletes surely do not eat a hamburger from McDonalds before running a marathon or swimming in a race. There needs to be more strict regulation on advertising of foods with no nutrition or else the kids of America will only become fatter.
Here is an interesting news article showing that even with such big problems in the world, the president and his wife are concerned with the obesity of kids. Click here!