Does Advertising affect obesity?

Does advertising affect obesity?

I don't like fish. Actually, I don't like seafood at all. If I saw an add for seafood I wouldn't eat it but maybe I'd consider it because they would make it look better than it really is. Is this the same case for junk food? I chose not to want to eat junk food, but am I tempted? Yes, advertising does tempt us but at the end of the day it is our decision. 

Literally billions of dollars are thrown into advertising in the food industry. Obesity levels are constantly rising. Is is safe to say that they are affected? Yes. Of course they are affected. People are gullible, people are tempted, they see something they want it they buy it. This is why the advertising works. I don’t blame the advertising though, because the advertisers are incredibly smart when it comes to this. They know the way most humans work.

They see, they want, they buy.

You can’t blame the advertisers for figuring out how to sell and what works. Their techniques work, but at the end of the day it’s our decision.

So you saw an amazing add for McDonald’s French fries… You saw it, you sure as hell wanted it, so you bought it. But hours later you felt sick, you felt fat and you cried about it. Who are you blaming? The advertising. That’s only because you want someone to blame other than yourself. We need to take a step back and realize it’s your choice. No one forced those fries down your throat; you put it in your body. Deal with the consequences.

I am extremely sympathetic when something bad happens to someone that is out of their control. I am sorry though, if you willingly eat those French fries every single day and complain that you got fat that’s YOUR fault. Entirely. People who are obese did it to themselves. I don’t have any sympathy for them. There are many gyms, and healthy lifestyle resources people can use to fix the problem instead of falling for the advertisements over and over again.

If you are incredibly obese and do have issues with self control I am not disrespecting you, but I suggest you talk to a health care professional who can help you. Just don’t blame the advertising because they are doing a good job if they make you fall for it every time.

On another note, I do believe there are a lot more unhealthy advertisements than there are healthy ones but that is just because people know the healthy options exist. A red shiny apple won’t tempt them; they are tempted by sugar, sweets and everything that will satisfy their cravings. Why would they advertise the healthy options that we already know about. The companies know that we don’t even want to see apples on the TV so they don’t waste their budget on it. Again, the advertising agencies are smart. They know what they are doing, so don’t blame them.

We all love our snacks, and treats we just need to learn to control our cravings and temptations. Don’t get sucked into the adds and you will be fine!

If you are concerned try to follow the LIVE standards off of http://childhoodobesityfoundation.ca/what-is-childhood-obesity/statistics/.

It says to eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day, have no more than 2 hours of screen time per day, enjoy 1 hour a day of physical activity, and avoid sugary drinks.

Sometimes the greatest changes in life are done really slowly over a long period of time. Small consistent changes over time can honestly have the best result. I challenge you to not get tempted by the next advertisement you see.

At the end of the day, you make your own choices in life. If you enjoy all the unhealthy food in life then eat them, no one is stopping you! Just make sure you feel good about what you do.

Photoshop, should we do it?

Should we Photoshop Ads?

Photoshop has its pros and its cons when it comes to advertising. Some say it could be lying or as I sometimes like to call it, false advertising. But others think it is a good thing because they see it as beneficial.

My point of view depends on the situation. Extreme Photoshop to make women or men look a certain way makes me question how real the models are. Some people with self-esteem issues see these models and think they are supposed to look like that and that’s really unfortunate. The ads can consume young girls with what they feel they should look like. I think it’s a problem because the models probably look better without the effects anyways so why do they do it? Young girls see this, and try to attain the unattainable, but they see it and think its possible when it’s not. Have a look at the Dove ads, they really nailed it by focusing their ads on the products and showing people what beauty truly looks like. I doubt they used a lot if any Photoshop on their models. That is how it should be. But wait, is it? This is where my point of view changes. Dove is actually winning with this unique approach. What if everyone did it? This makes me think, maybe we see the over photo shopping way as a bad thing only because its all we see. What if all we saw was natural beauty? Everything would be the same and there would be no difference in the ads. A variation is good it shouldn’t be fully one way or fully another way, there just needs to be a line. The line should just be to make the photo shopped models look realistic and not set unrealistic expectations for the viewers.

Overall I think Photoshop is good, it has its benefits. When used properly and when the models look real it is appreciated. When they over do it that is where I see the problem. I think the advertisers need to be aware of their viewers and go from there.

Banvertising

Is Banvertising offensive or clever?
If an add is deemed as offensive, should it be banned? Honestly, if something is offensive to one person it might not be offensive to the rest of us. It's extremely bothersome how in life in general people will ban certain things because it doesn't please everyone! Nothing will ever please anyone! And example of banning something other than advertising is how people and schools have banned the word, "Christmas." It's a huge deal now to say this word just because some people didn't like it.

Banvertising is the same thing. I don't agree with banning words that have meaning to some people and I also don't agree that we should ban artwork and advertisements based on some people's values and beliefs. So advertisements should not be banned, because they were created with an intention and if that intention is working no one has the right to stop that!

That brings me to the next point, who can even determine what is considered to be offensive and what is not? I do not think any one person has the right to determine this. Our world needs to let people express whatever they want however they want. If some people are offended, I am sorry but that's too bad. It's an advertisement that might not even targeted at you so why should it matter?

On the other hand, yes I do believe that companies should be careful what they post. If they want to keep their business and keep a good reputation they should be aware of the reactions that their work may cause. But there is only so many people you can please in life, so at the end of the day it should be entirely up to the creative team to decide what they are going to create.

I hope it is not a deliberate strategy to have their advertisements banned, if that is the case then my entire theory changes. I do not believe in manipulating to get a specific outcome. However, if the company posts an ad and wants to shock people that is okay, but to specifically want to be banned is a little bit odd!