Food Advertising Advertisers have many methods to try to get you to buy their products. Lots of times, what they are selling is a lifestyle or an image, rather than the product. Here are some techniques/strategies:
Testimonial: the endorsement of a product by a well-known person or organization.
Transfer: relating the qualities of one idea to those of another.
Plain folks: Talking down to the audience in order to appear to be one of them.
Bandwagon: The suggestion that everyone is doing it.
Snob Appeal: The association of a product with a desirable life.
Facts and Figures: The implication that figures and statistics prove a point beyond dispute.
Hidden Fears: exploitation of an individual’s fears and insecurities.
Magic: the implication that a product’s effectiveness or benefits are scientifically based. two tablespoons of cauliflower, yet it contains 12% more saturated fat 9% more sodium 12% more sugar 4% less protein
Weasel words: Use of vague qualifiers and or disclaimers to mislead the consumer to think the product is better than it is.
PowerBar: “Increase Your Performance“ It makes you better: PowerBar: “Increase Your Performance“
Consider the discrepancy between what the ad promotes and what you actually get:
Wendy's Chicken Club
KFC Famous Bowl KFC Famous Bowl
Subway six-inch turkey breast and ham sub
Wendy's Southwest Taco Salad
Wendy's Chicken Club
McDonald's Big Mac
Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande
Sources: http://www.dirjournal.com/shopping-journal/food-advertisements-what-makes-us-buy-it/ http://thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm
Food Stylist reveals some tricks in Food Advertising http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwguD9ac-5A