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Part 1 The Importance of Food
Mass Media
Mass media, such as television, radio, magazines,
and the Internet, can affect your food choices. The media
acquaints you with, reminds you of, and informs you about
food products and nutrition issues.
Advertising
A key way the media infl uence your food choices is
through advertising. Manufacturers spend millions of dollars
to encourage you to try new food products. They also urge
you to continue buying products you have used for years.
The fi rst level of advertising for a food product is the
product package. Clearly showing the brand as well as the
name of the product is an important part of the packaging.
Manufacturers want you to remember what product you
are buying so you can buy it again. They also want you to
remember who makes the product so you will be encour-
aged to look for other products from the same company.
Most packages show an attractive photo of the prepared
food. This image is intended to appeal to your appetite.
Manufacturers use package coloring to send messages
about their products, too. Think about how many foods
promoted as being “healthy” have a package with a green background or green
lettering. Green is the color of healthy, growing plants in nature. Using this color on the
package sends the message that choosing the food product will help you be healthy.
Through the media, manufacturers use a number of techniques to sell their prod-
ucts. The bandwagon technique stirs a desire to belong by saying everyone is using the
product. The humor technique prompts you to connect products with the happy feelings
you have when watching funny ads. The nostalgia technique urges you to buy products
because of their natural qualities or old-fashioned goodness. The transfer technique
often uses famous people to sell products. Ads encourage
you to transfer qualities like fame, wealth, and beauty from
the people in the ads to the products they are promoting.
The testimonial technique triggers you to buy a product
because an expert says he or she uses it.
Another common advertising practice is the use of
advertising icons. These are characters designed to help
people recognize products, 1-4. Icons encourage people
to try new products, too. For instance, suppose a box of
the newest cereal bars on the market shows the smiling
cow icon from your favorite yogurt. You like the yogurt, and
you associate the cow with the yogurt. Therefore, seeing
the cow might lead you to assume you will also like the
cereal bars, so you try them.
Manufacturers know that getting you to try a product is
the key to turning you into a repeat buyer. Free samples,
coupons, rebates, eye-catching displays, and special offers
are tools they use to prompt you to check out food products.
Corelle®
1-3 Friends can infl uence food choices and
eating habits.
General Mills, Inc.
1-4 Advertising icons are the characters on
product packages used to help shoppers
quickly spot favorite brands.