Unhealthy Food Commercial
Food companies have taken over TV commercials where they promote their products without due consideration on the impacts that such advertisements have on different people in the United States. Burger King’s Yumbo Hot Ham and Cheese is one among many commercials that have prompted people to change their eating habits and impacted negative on their lifestyles. In this commercial, Burger King brought back their Yumbo sandwich with a marketing campaign full of 1970s nostalgia. It is opined that this advertisement elicited a chain of past and back moments especially of the disco era (Mrod621, 2015). This product was introduced in the menu in 1968 before retiring in 1974. However, they brought it back to their menu after years of waiting. “There is a lot of nostalgia around the brand and these classic sandwiches, and we’re also excited to introduce it to new generations” (Collman, 2014), this is according to Eric Hirschorn, Chief Marketing Officer at Burger King. In the advertisement the product is retailing at 3.69 dollars, and is a black forest ham melted with cheese.
Impacts of Yumbo Hot Ham Commercial
To the population group of people whose age ranges from 3-18 the commercial elicited reactions that affected food choices. Studies have been conducted in regards to the impacts of fast food advertisements on food choices while examining the existing relationship between parental influence and food choice (Rattue, 2011). After watching the commercial and given a choice between an apple slice and the Yumbo Ham, many children prefer the latter. This is supported by the enticing advertisements run on the TV. Children are avoiding healthy foods and selecting those that are massively publicized not knowing that they are unhealthy and thus contributes to obesity. This particular commercial portrayed a burger as a more juicy food, enticing, appropriate for quick lunch treat and a delicacy that cannot be avoided. However, the healthy approach is to save burgers for occasional treat and instead children should be allowed to choose more nutritional food, unfortunately, this commercial does not imply anything positive.
Adults exposed to this commercial also elicited mixed reaction and intuitively encouraged them to consume more both healthy and unhealthy food. Potentially, this commercial increases consumption of related products even if not presented in the commercial. The consumption of Yumbo burger increases in adult in an action that is not related to hunger or other conscious influences and food choices. Based on the commercial, Yumbo burger is irresistible making many adults to consume a lot not knowing that the food has high sodium that is responsible for many cases of heart attack and high blood pressure. The commercial also impacts on the guidance that parents give to their children, they no longer caution them on the consequences of eating unhealthy food such as the one promoted in the commercial. Also, it impacts negatively on parental encouragement on eating healthy food to help undo the negative message carried by the commercial.
When I watched this commercial it elicited mixed thoughts that were not entirely my credit. To some extent, the commercial was praising what is considered by many as diabolically unhealthy fast food. It is a fact that fast food has a massive image problem because consistent use of fast food may make an individual’s body undesirable. Promotion of fast food like the above can only be compared to old cigarette advertisements that featured doctors and athletes smoking like crazy and still lived active lives. Despite fast foods having measurable health consequences, advertisement imagery often tries to push these consequences away as far as possible.
References
Collman, A. (2014). Burger King brings back the ‘Yumbo’ 40 years after the hot ham and cheese
sandwich was taken off the menu. Mail Online. [ONLINE]Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2857985/Burger-King-brings-Yumbo-40-years-hot-ham-cheese-sandwich-taken-menu.html. Accessed November 2, 2017.
Mrod621. (2015). Fast Food Commercials: USA 2015. YouTube. [VIDEO] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cHmhsu3qr8. Accessed November 2, 2017.
Rattue, G. (2011). Impact of Fast Food Advertising on Childhood Food Choices. Medical News
Today. [ONLINE]Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/235707.php. Accessed November 2, 2017.