Basic Needs: FoodFood is basic. Even without advertising, people still want to eat. But, the function of an ad is to channel and to direct our taste and appetite toward a particular product, or a certain brand. In most cases, these specific brands are often highly processed convenience foods. In some farm products (milk, eggs, beef, almonds, grapes, peanuts, etc.), some ads are organized by the government (USDA), but paid for by taxes levied on the farmers. "Got milk?" Taste is subjective, learned or acquired from many sources. Ads try to persuade us that their product has the taste (texture, aroma) we like. Examples of effective food ads are those close-up color photos (often with recipes) in womens' magazines. Visuals are usually more important than words in this category. The target audience for food ads used to be limited to the "homemaker" (often, the mother). But, now, many convenience foods (frozen, microwave) are targeted at singles and women working outside the home. Such ads not only stress taste, but also "simplicity"(easy), "rapidity," (quick) and "family" (tastes like home made). Audience-centered ads try to associate the product with pleasant emotional feelings of "good things" already liked by the intended audience. Such feel- good ads are often not logical or true, but can be very effective.
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Key Words:appetizing Back to: Audience-Centered Claims
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