Why? Because they teach fast weight loss -- lose 10 pounds in two weeks. Is that possible? Yes, but it's usually "water" weight -- that weight that is most quickly put back on when we go back to a normal diet. But just as the ads and promos don't tell us about all the calories in those RTE cereals and fast foods, when they push the fad diets, they don't mention that "water" weight problem.
And, sure enough, that's why people on fad diets eventually get frustrated. They lose ten pounds in a couple or three weeks, go back to their regular diet, and gain it right back. Eventually, the frustration level reaches a point that they give up and go have a couple big Macs and a super-size bag of fries -- and a chocolate shake -- the junk food they saw on TV last night.
And where do we learn about all these fad diets and become so tempted to try one. Well, Valerie Bertinelli displaying her 50-pound weight loss in a bikini on TV, of course. Gosh, I
wonder why they use sexy Valerie instead of Ed down the street who just lost 100 pounds but no TV cameras came to his house? Of course it's intentional. Like all advertising, they are working on our emotions, and not our common sense.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that advertising, TV, and promotions greatly impact our diet choices -- mostly negatively. But part of all this is our own self-control. With young children, we really don't expect them to control their desires so they won't eat sugar-coated cereal. That's Mom's job. And, that's what the advertisers are planning on too. Why are their billions of dollars aimed at kids? They know the child is going to see what he wants and drive Mom nuts until she gives it to him.
With adults, however, there is a mechanism at work here that is known as "vicarious goal fulfillment." People who excel at self-control are very good at remaining mindful of a diet objective and keeping it in focus. When that goal is, say, finishing a term paper, they outperform other people at ignoring distracting options like going to a movie. When that goal is eating well, they're better at resisting distractions like ice cream and pizza. But when a healthy choice is actually made available, the goal may feel fulfilled even...
(Snyder & DeBono quoted in Kjeldal 2003, Introduction section, ¶ 6). The results from the study Kjeldal (2003) conducted with 70 participants in two stages suggest that the word association responses high self-monitors (HSMs) produce reflect selective activation of a personally meaningful, experiential, system. The responses low self-monitors (LSMs) produce, on the other hand, indicate an intellective factual system. 2. Decision Making Process Theories Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher (2009), an Associate Professor at
Advertising is Essentially a Negative Influence on Society: Generally, advertising has been part of economies across the globe since the commencement of trade as merchants have primarily sorted out the benefits of their goods in the marketplace. Some of the most common advertising means that were present in ancient advertisement include shop signs and broadsides in posts, walls, or trees. Since then advertising has continued to grow and develop to an
" (Snyder, 2008, p.8/9) in other words, Snyder is appealing for better ethical standards not only because this would be the right thing to do but also because it makes good economic and marketing sense. The following advertising example is a case in point. In another article Snyder refers to an advertisement which goes beyond good taste and decency. This refers to a multimedia campaign for Belvedere Vodka which is in
As expected to prove H3, the fourth graders could recall a median of 6 items about the ad while the first graders recalled a median of 4 items. The ultimate conclusion of the researchers was that children "can recall a reasonable amount of information from a single exposure to a television advertisement and are capable of sharing information accurately" (Maher et al., 2006, p. 30). The authors view their work
Based on Thumim's work, it is possible to suggest that the reason John Fitzgerald Kennedy won the White House had little to do with his wealth, his brains, the party's backing, his WWII heroism or even his obviously intelligent wife. In view of Thumim's claims, it is possible to conclude that a nation of devalued women -- 'put down' on television sitcoms for more than a decade -- were
American National Character (history) The Ongoing Search for an "American National Character" This assignment asks the following pertinent and challenging questions: Is it possible to find trends amongst so much diversity? What characteristics are distinctly American, regardless of class, race, and background? What is problematic about making these generalizations and inheriting the culture? What have we inherited exactly? What problems arise with our ideals - and are we being honest with ourselves?
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