Blog #3 - Advertising and Obesity

The average person will see hundreds of advertisements per day. Through the hundreds, many of these ads will be food related. The fast food and candy industry put billions of dollars into the advertising of their products. Food ads make the food look much more appetizing then the food actually looks when it is in front of you.  The advertising industry also spends a lot of money on research about the human mind, and what triggers hunger or desire, for example.  I think that people are very influenced by media, and so when the media tells you, for example, "It's okay to treat yourself and indulge", then people quickly rationalize their decision to buy unhealthy foods as an okay thing to do.

The advertising companies that promote the unhealthy foods of the world, know how to grab the attention of the consumers, and make unhealthy food exciting. There is not many advertisers making healthy food seem exciting, and so consumers are less aware of their options for healthy choices. I really do believe media and advertising plays a big role in the growing number of obese people in the world; but having said that, everyone has the choice to live either a healthy or not so healthy life style. People need to be more aware of what they are throwing into their mouths, and how many chemicals are used in processed foods.

Here is a link to an article talking about the psychology of advertising, and it's influence on people.

Blog #2

I think that Photoshop is a great tool to be able to create an image that is polished and professional and it also gives people an outlet be creative in the digital world with interesting special effects. In the advertising world, I do believe that photoshop is a necessary tool to make images in ad look professional and stand out. One thing that I don't agree with is completely changing the appearance of a person in an ad, such as models and actresses. Modern society is so image focussed, and I think that people need a cleansing from the fake images constantly being put out there in advertisement. It is not only distructive to the people looking at the ads, but also for the people who are in the ads, because they feel inferior to that image, and they're self esteem becomes greatly affected if they don't have good support from the people they are close with. Personally, I avoid looking through magazines that are filled with celebrity gossip, because I know the images are very Photoshopped, and I don't find the content interesting.

Blog #1

I do think that ads that are offensive should be banned, because it's not only adults who are seeing these ads, but there are also children who will see this, and be exposed to matters that they should be sheltered from until they are older.  I think that the network who streams these ads are the ones who decide and filter which ads should be allowed, and which should be banned.  I think that brands and agencies do feel the need to shock consumers viewing ads, because people see a large number of ads per day, and they tend to just fly over the heads of the average person; and so agencies want to portray something memorable. I think that ads should make people think, whether it be negative or positive thoughts, but ads should be tastefully executed, so that the ad is not coming across as trashy material.  Even though an ad may not be directed at those who may be offended, the companies should still be tasteful, but still use strong imagery to grasp and hold the attention of many. Modern society has become over sexualized, and so, as a consumer, I would like to see ads that have high impact imagery and are clever, but do not use sexual images to shock and get their point across.