The Negative Analysis Of Frosted Mini-Wheats

Video “Here be Dragons” by Brian Dunning (6/30/16). What does the title really mean are dragons even real? Advertisements tend to just tell us what we want to hear in order to make a profit. How do we know when they are telling the truth? In Brian Dunning video he goes through the “Red Flags” the warning sign that something is a pseudoscience. Pseudoscience is the idea that claims to be real but are not supported by facts or evidence. The “Red Flags” he mentions are; appeal to authority, ancient wisdom, confirmation bias, red heritage, proof by verbosity, mystical energy, suppression by authorities, all natural, and ideological support. Appeal authority is the use of appearance to gain credulity of a product. Any example of this is when

The cereal industry is very adamant on using a differentiation strategy to make one’s brand stand out in the minds of certain people. The companies break down the public into different target markets; and then make products that will be attractive to their target markets. Companies make different brands for young kids, teenagers, adults, and people who are health conscience. Currently, there are 387 different brands of cereal sold in the United States and each family is estimated to purchase 17 different brands per year. (O’Connor, Amy) Companies continue to brainstorm for new product ideas to attract the various market segmentations.

Commercials through television and radio aimed towards children are ethical because it helps build healthy ideals. Through commercials, children can see that doing certain things are good for you! They can see that it is what they should do. “Advertising and marketing techniques could encourage children to eat

It is commonly known that individuals seek certainty, love, support, and well being that is often found in their family. When we are searching the shelves of the grocery store, it appears that we search for the same qualities within the brands that we consume. Not only does the product’s taste play a big part in what we reach for, but the nutritional values frequently determine what we decide to purchase. As a reaction, popular companies, such as Cheerios, try to push a healthier impression on their merchandise in ads. By using statistics paired with an emotional message and their trustworthy name, Cheerios is able to effectively convince the audience that they care about keeping your heart

Advertisements are everywhere. They are a major part of modern day society. Whether it be a television commercial, an internet banner, or a billboard, advertisements influence people of all ages, but they affect a certain age group much more than others. Children ranging from toddlers to teenagers are exposed to thousands upon thousands of advertisements each year. Some of these advertisements are damaging to children, while others are a positive influence. Advertisements can either be used as a tool or a weapon. Food advertisements and manipulation strategies are both positive and negative, and how companies use them decides whether or not marketing to children is ethical.

“Mom, I want this! I want this!” I scream as I’m peering at the screen, causing my mom to walk in and hear, “The breakfast of a champion” coming from the television. Why did I want to eat Wheaties cereal so bad when my mom provided other delicious cereals, like Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms everyday in our pantry? Being a young child in sports, I simply wanted to be that champion. As I watched the advertisement, I noticed the athletes they featured and I wanted to be just like them. As I watched more TV, I noticed other commercials that did not interest me as much. For example, seeing a commercial for Special K didn’t intrigue me because I didn’t notice anything special about it. I knew I wasn’t going to become

With all the bad science in the media the general public is often confused as to which are the correct choices. Educating the public to be better consumers of science would improve general health and lower the need for access to healthcare (Pincus, Esther, DeWalt, & Callahan 1998).

Domino Sugar and Soft Drinks advertisements are two really good and persuasive advertisements. Both of them have main ideas with support to get the reader more interested and to really use the product of trust the message. In Domino’s Sugar the main idea is their sugar has less calories and their sugar gives you lots of energy. The author of the ad supports this by putting in, “Yes, 6 teaspoons of Domino Sugar contain fewer calories than this Main Dish “Reducing Salad”! Also, “Generous amounts of Domino Sugar, used in your favorite foods and beverages, contain fewer calories than many foods regularly included in reducing diets,” and “Just as Salads are famous for their health values in a well balanced diet, Domino Sugar helps supply the quick food-energy you need everyday for pep and vitality.” In Soft Drinks the main idea is sugar has too many calories and how soft drinks have too much sugar. The author of this ad supports this by putting in, “You’re drinking 68 packets of sugar in just 4 sugary drinks a day.” Also, “All those extra calories can bring on obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease,” and “Are you pouring on the pounds?” As you can see both authors had a main idea and supported it.

A “balanced diet” is a diet that consists of the nutrition that the body needs to function properly. “The body needs at least six ounces of grains. Two-and-a half cups of vegetables. Two cups of fruits. Three cups of milk or dairy products. And, five-and-a half ounces of meat and beans or protein”. These measurements are quoted from the “My Pyramid” chart, which has a specific amount and type of food needed for a balanced and diet daily.

According to Bassham et al. (2002), a logical fallacy is “an argument that contains a mistake in reasoning” (p. 140). There are two types of logical fallacies, fallacies of relevance, and fallacies of insufficient evidence. Fallacies of relevance happen when the premises are not logically relevant to the conclusion. Fallacies of insufficient evidence occur when the premises do not provide sufficient evidence to support the conclusion. Though there are several logical fallacies, four logical fallacies commonly found in advertising are amphiboly, appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, and non sequitur.

The Impact of Pseudoscience on Consumers Pseudoscience is known by many as false science. Many consumers are convinced by companies that sells these products provide instant cures that lead to a healthier lifestyle. These products are scientific theories that have little evidence to back up their scientific claims. The Internet, health food stores, magazines, and commercials are just a few ways that companies can target potential consumers to sell their products. Medical information searched by consumers via the Internet has become the largest source of information worldwide. Consumers search the Internet for weight loss strategies, treatments for autism, anti-aging creams, male enhancement, and prevention of cancer and heart

These commercials are sending a bad message to young athletes of America. Training and physical fitness are important components to make a good athlete. Young athletes look up to the stars of today's professional sports. The commercials that children see encourage them to eat foods that are not healthy for them. Usually, the advertisements

About a third of children in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese, and researchers believe television advertising is a significant contributing factor (4). Exposure to television advertising is basically universal and the ads present foods as desirable and attractive. Children have been shown to be far more receptive to television advertising messages than classroom lessons (3). It leaves a harder lasting impression on them because the food products are presented in a cool, fun way that attracts children. Most of the time, children would pick foods that they may not even like, simply because they think it’s the cool thing to eat and once a kid gets his mind set on what they want, it is very hard to steer them away from wanting it. Television ads for foods geared toward children are usually fun, and bright with animations and lots of cool characters that the children can relate to. This directly influences the child’s food preference and unfortunately most of these ads are for processed, unhealthy food products like cereals, snacks, fast food, and soft drinks. In the U.S., there are few restrictions on food ads, but that's not the case in the U.K., where junk food can't be marketed on children's television (4).

Food advertisements, if focused at the right people and in the right places, are a complete success. These features, some of which are commercials, seduce society into buying food that we necessarily do not need. Many advertisement companies, especially those about food, are directed to children because they know that if you grab the kids you have their parents. While brands are using fun cartoons like “Trix Rabbit” and “Toucan Sam” (Green, 2007, p. 49) supermarkets are taking these items and placing them right in front of the children, at their level, advertising the “Fun foods” (Elliot, 2008, p. 259-273). They do this so the kids will use their, “pester power” (Scholsser, n.d., p. 2) to get what they want. A series of studies have been performed on children and television advertisements. An article states, “These studies have generally linked children's television viewing to negative health effects” (Korr, 2008, p. 451). Amongst these negative effects is a higher level of childhood obesity (p. 451). Similarly, in another study performed by a group of researchers, kids were asked to explain the television commercials that they remembered the best. The answers given were then compared with their diets. Interestingly, the items those children remembered best, chips, sweets, and sodas were a huge part of what they ate (Hitching & Moynihan, 1998, p. 511-517). However, some authors argue that television producer’s, even though their

Other ethical practices by Kellogg’s are their newest efforts to end unfair marketing to children. They have created a “Nutrient Criteria” guide that sets the standards for what is and what isn’t healthy for children to consume, or over consume. Their products that do not fit these criteria are immediately ceased from marketing to children under the age of 6. Such Kellogg’s products that fall under this category as “unhealthy” are Pop-Tarts™, Froot Loops™, and Apple Jacks™. All of these products fall under Kellogg’s top sellers, and no longer marketing these to children may take a toll on the profits. Assuredly, Kellogg’s is aware of this, yet still they continue to set standards in the food and beverage industry by being one of the first companies to show a dedication to the cause of childhood