Modern methods of advertising have become increasingly more questionable on the effects it has on the general public. The essay “Happy Meals and the Old Spice Guy” by Joanna Weiss focuses on the effects marketing tactics and advertising have on an average consumer. According to Weiss, advertising is not just limited to basic commercials and ads, but they also rely heavily on store placement, packaging, and associations of the brand. The article “Like me, Want me, Buy me, Eat me” by Sandra C Jones, Nadia Mannino and Julia Green also discusses deceptive marketing techniques. Why do these corporations spend millions on marketing every year in the most intrusive tactics? And are they successful? Both works of literature explain how as a society consumers are constantly fed deceptive marketing practices and exaggerated media images regardless of consumer groups. In the essay Weiss specifically uses McDonald 's “Happy Meals” and Procter and Gamble 's “Old Spice Guy” as examples of deceptive marketing practices. The “Happy Meal” is a meal that includes a toy targeted towards kids, this marketing technique influences parents to go to McDonald’s because their kids want to go there. This shows that children are influenced only by the rewards included in the “Happy Meal.” In the case of the “Old Spice Guy,” the brand uses interesting and attention grabbing advertisements, social media, and celebrity associations such as appearing on the show “Ellen” and giving President Obama advice. These subtle yet effective marketing techniques have spread widely and even to the extent of heavily influencing brand loyalty and recognition. In a survey it was found out that more people in the world recognize the McDonald’s “arches” than the Christian Cross, furthermore a consumer will never be more than a 107 miles away from a McDonalds in the United States. The Old Spice brand is successful towards women because their ad campaign depicts that the more attractive the man is in advertisements, the more manly the smell, thus more women will purchase the product. As a result, Weiss concludes that consumers purchase whatever product looks the nicest and is the most widely used by the general public. Consumers want what everybody else has. Women are attracted to good looking men, so when they go shopping for their husband or boyfriend they will purchase products that depict a good looking man. In the case of kids, they simply want toys. They don’t care about eating the food that came with their Happy Meal, just the toy. So overall it can be seen that the marketing industry is indeed deceptive and manipulates consumers. Even though these corporations are deceptive they are still successful. Parents go to McDonalds because their kids pressure them to go there only because of a toy, parents need to educate their kids about how unhealthy fast food is and find alternatives. Americans sometimes purchase products that are in “trend” regardless of the negative impacts and price. The article “Like me, Want me, Buy me, Eat me” begins by stating that “television, internet and print media are saturated with advertisements for unhealthy food that use marketing tactics aimed to build long term brand loyalty and relationships with children” (Jones et al. 1). Children are exposed to advertisements wherever they look and lack the ability to understand
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If subjected to this unavoidable advertising world, consumers must understand what these companies are trying to do. That way more informed decisions would be made on purchases in the future. Furthermore, stricter regulation surrounding food marketing to children, such as restrictions on pervasive marketing strategies could be a useful tool in addressing an important contributor to childhood obesity. However, it is important that such regulations are implemented across media channels, and that these channels are monitored for compliance with these standards. An excellent movie that represents how people are influenced by the marketing techniques is “The Truman Show”. This movie has blatant product placement basically in every scene and everything on the “show” is for sale from the actor’s clothes to the actor’s accessories, the movie also depicts how successful the marketing tactic is because it shows audiences all around the world owning props from the “show” regardless of the consumer
If subjected to this unavoidable advertising world, consumers must understand what these companies are trying to do. That way more informed decisions would be made on purchases in the future. Furthermore, stricter regulation surrounding food marketing to children, such as restrictions on pervasive marketing strategies could be a useful tool in addressing an important contributor to childhood obesity. However, it is important that such regulations are implemented across media channels, and that these channels are monitored for compliance with these standards. An excellent movie that represents how people are influenced by the marketing techniques is “The Truman Show”. This movie has blatant product placement basically in every scene and everything on the “show” is for sale from the actor’s clothes to the actor’s accessories, the movie also depicts how successful the marketing tactic is because it shows audiences all around the world owning props from the “show” regardless of the consumer