"Unthink?" Really?

This week we'd like to discuss the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) marketing campaign that's been going on for the past few months. I hope the ad exec that came up with this one got a cookie, because they sure deserve it. The tagline being used in the newer ads is "unthink," which they probably mean to be taken as "think differently about kfc chicken," because KFC is trying to promote their new chicken that's grilled instead of fried. This supposedly makes it healthier. Really KFC? If its so much healthier why do you give the serving size of each menu item in grams on your nutrition chart? For example, on the PDF download of their nutrition chart, the serving size for wings is 48. To the average person this might appear as though 48 wings had only 140 calories and 8 grams of fat. In reality, these nutrition facts probably apply to a serving size of 1-2 wings. Even considering that, someone might say, "oh that still isn't that bad." When you inspect the nutrition chart further, you can see that about half the calories per serving for a majority of the menu items come from fat, meaning that there is still much more fat in the food (though it may not be "trans fat") than is good for you. Add to that the fact that we had to do a little digging to find this chart, and things begin to look a little suspicious. Maybe KFC wants us to "unthink" eating healthy, and just cram their chicken down our throats without asking questions. Ad is posted below.

My name is RAM, and this is me being deep.

Hello again all, this week the focus of our attention here at Truth In Advertising will be one of the latest advertisements for the Dodge RAM truck. This commercial, while very aesthetically well done, is yet another example of the way advertisers have always been trying to create a lifestyle around the products that they sell to us. The ad starts off with a picture of the RAM's grill and the voiceover coming in with, "My name is RAM, and my tank is full." Thats deep Dodge. Really. The quaint little haiku stylings of the voiceover man continue: "I am all brawn, all brains, built to overachieve..." et cetera, et cetera. As this goes on, masculine imagery is flashed across the screen to of course appeal to the key truck-buying demographic of middle aged men. Things like a welder hard at work, a picture of calloused and dirty hands, and a RAM with a bed full of heavy block-like objects are included in this mini eyeball-parade of the macho. The no-nonsense tone and sound of the narrator's voice brings a subconscious reinforcement of the no-nonsense image Dodge wishes to cultivate with this advertisement. All of these elements together are no doubt intended to invoke feelings of pride within and for the American working class and create an emotional attachment to their vehicle. And yet for all that, all the red, white and blue patriotism in the world couldn't get me to pay 150 dollars for a tank of gas. The ad is posted below.

Get your minds out of the gutter kids...

So this week a particularly ridiculous and inane product has come to our attention here at Truth In Advertising. Its called the shake weight. They're made for both men and women, and of course have an entire workout program centered around them that's all you need to get ripped in no time at all. The shake weight is basically just a barbell that pulsates back and forth, and all that the user need do is hold on to it for an entire upper body workout. Of course, what the makers of this product probably didn't count on was the fact that its basically impossible to use this product without looking like you're performing some kind of robotic sex act. And just think, it can be all yours for 29.95. Maybe its just me, but the fact that the entire commercial consists of sweaty dudes using the product shirtless doesn't help. As with most products of this nature, the commercial comes at you with the pseudo-science, using terms like "dynamic inertia." I'll post the commercial below, as well as a parody we found amusing, for your entertainment.

The original commercial:


The parody:

Capitalizing on people's insecurity isn't wrong...right?

This week we've decided to review the commercials for the "male enhancement" pill called Extenze. Its spelled with a "z," so you know it's legitimate. Chances are, if you've watched television at all recently (especially say, Comedy Central past ten o clock at night), you've seen a commercial for this product. What it claims to do is enlarge, "that certain part of the male body" (undoubtedly a medical term) and do things like increase sexual performance and satisfaction.

What this product seems like to me is a glorified erectile dysfunction pill. It falls under the category of a dietary supplement, so it has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that the makers of Extenze can get away with claiming some pretty outlandish things without getting sued. Of course, the fine print at the end of the commercial that flashes by too quickly to fully read informs viewers of this. After all, not informing people would be irresponsible.

The ads also say that they'll mail you a week's supply of their product for free, all you have to do is pay for postage. Wait, so you have to pay money for this product? Wouldn't that make it...not free? The answer to that question is yes. The makers of Extenze also claim that over one billion pills have been sold to men across the country. Notice the phrasing: "have been sold to", or "have been taken by" are the words used. The phrase "has worked for" is conspicuously absent. They have no actual scientific proof of the effectiveness of this product. The only reason that the product has sold so many units, if it even has, is that the majority of male consumers in the United States are insecure about their size and sexual performance, and are once again looking for any "magic bullet" that will solve their problems. I'll post the advertisement below and you can decide for yourself:

This week, diet pills.

As the title suggests, this week I'd like to rant for a while about diet pill commercials. They almost always open by asking the viewer questions like, "are you tired of working out and never getting any results?" or, "tried diet plans but they're just too hard?" Well of course, this is where the magic pill they're about to tell you about comes in.
After the questions come the pseudo-scientific double talk during which the voiceover person on the commercial tells you a bunch of "facts" that you probably know already. These consist of things like, "excess fat builds up on top of the muscle underneath the skin" and, "stress at work, poor diet and lack of exercise" can lead to excess body fat. Basically they want the viewer to feel like their poor health isn't their fault; its simply a consequence of their ever-so-busy lifestyles that consist of sitting on the couch watching infomercials all day. This convincing scientific testimony is backed up more often than not by a doctor who got his certificate off the internet, or by some other means of shadiness.
Some of the newer ads, like the one for the Cortislim diet pill, try to promote a lifestyle centered around the pill. They have started to emphasize a regimen that includes exercise as well as taking the diet pills. One of these ads is posted below, again from youtube:

What the advertisements neglect to mention is that there are only three ways in which diet pills work, none of which are miraculous and all of which are almost always harmful. One way is to block the body's absorption of fat. While this may sound good, keep in mind that the fat has to go somewhere, meaning its usually crapped out (to use the technical term). Secondly, the pills can block the receptors in the brain that control appetite. This can lead to depression in some people. Thirdly, there are some diet pills that contain a stimulant. Taking these in conjunction with exercise can lead to heart problems. Just a little something to think about next time the commercial for that "magic pill" comes on.

Truth In Advertising: First Post

Hello all, this will be the maiden post in a blog that I will call, "Truth In Advertising." What I will be doing here is taking the advertisements we all see on television every single day and breaking them down to show you how full of it they really are, and maybe educating you to some of the catches that aren't readily visible or easy to spot. Of course this information will be provided to you in conjunction with a heavy dose of my own opinion.

Lets start things off by looking at the Gatorade ad campaign. Their commercials are beautifully-done homages to sports, and usually consist of clips of athletes doing near-superhuman things on the field of play accompanied by upbeat, thumping music. I've taken the liberty of posting one of their latest commercials below, thanks to youtube.com:

You'll notice after watching that their new tagline is, "that's g." What they want to do here, as all advertisers do, is try and sell the viewer a lifestyle. They try and get you to forge an emotional connection with their product by telling you in that subtle way, "you can have this." "You can do amazing and athletic things when you drink this." Sadly, some of us don't seem to be able to tell that this is total fiction, and this is why you see fat middle aged men, along with the younger garden-variety douchebag, drinking Gatorade. Allow me to clear the issue up for all of the people in those previously mentioned categories who may be reading this: Gatorade is basically sugar water with some electrolytes, most of the time basically salt, in it. Its fruit punch with a great ad agency. Get over it. Thank you.