Sugar Is Back on Food Labels as a Selling Point Essay

Introduction

This advert is about the use of sugar products as the main selling point in many of the products in the US today. Sugar is one of the contributors to the energy needs of the body and thus it gains an appealing advantage to the manufacturers of soft drinks like root beer, coca cola etc. This nutritional advert is trying to show the growing trend of the manufacturers in that they are slowly replacing the high fructose corn syrup with the old composition of sugar. This move may in the future bring medical problems associated with this form of sugar products e.g. obesity, blood pressure etc. (New York Times).

Target audience

This advert targets the consumers who in most cases are uninformed on the compositions of the products they consume. It is designed to warn the consumers of the disadvantages of abandoning the high fructose corn syrup with the adoption of the old composition of sugar (New York Times). It can be also said to target the young consumers especially the youth who in this case are the major consumers of these commodities. The producers target the fulfillment of the psychological needs of their consumers and thus they present the products in a manner that the consumer’s tastes and preferences are satisfied.

Claim of the advert

It claims that the trend is worrying and if not checked it can increase the medical complications of the consumers in the long run e.g. hyperactivity in children, this can reverse the gains made in the elimination of obesity in the society. The advert claims that the main reason behind the rapid rise of obesity in the world especially in the USA was caused by the use of the organic sugars which was in products like soda, bread, yoghurt, frozen foods and spaghetti sauce (New York Times).

Underlying assumption in the advert

The advert recognizes the consumer’s attraction to the sugar components and the trend in the market, thus the producers are also shifting their production to more sugar compounds which sell more. Research done by consumer groups indicate that the consumers want to control their consumption habits and thus they tend to choose the organic foods rather than the natural foods which are said to be more processed.

The market size composition is also an assumption that is made and the target population in this case is consumers from all walks of life. The advert is conclusive and sensitive to the consumers beliefs on healthy living and is part of the awareness programs to fight obesity and other related illnesses.

Credibility of the advert and its success

The advert is addressing the growing trends in the market and its effect on the consumer’s health. It also recognizes the tastes and preferences of the consumers as the major driving force and thus it basically designed to guide them in the consumption behaviors. Its aim is to influence the consumption trends i.e. buying behaviors when it comes to the consumption of the organic sugar products. This awareness will give them an informed position in their consumption behavior and it is one of the best ways to create awareness to the consumers against the consequences which might affect them (Dotlich and Noel, 1998, p. 45).

Its appeal to the audience emotions

There are many adverts in the newspapers but this article on nutrition is more appealing and attractive to the consumers since it concerns health related issues and most of the consumers tend to pay more attention on them. The basic appeal strategies used in advertising are categorized and analyzed in detail in Jib Fowles’ article, “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals.” This advert has the following emotional appeals;

1. The need for attention; the advert attracts the attention of the readers due to the picture which depicts the consumer beverages which are more common in the market. This picture attracts the readers and influences then to read the article to know more on their favorite brands.
2. The need for guidance; the moral objective of the advert is to guide the prospective and the existing consumers on the health concerns in the commodities they consume. It also explains the worrying and shocking trends in the industry and signals the danger lying ahead if the ills are not corrected soon. It also tries to inform them on the health conditions likely to be experienced by the consumption of this type of organic sugars.
3. The need to feel safe; consumers want to consume products which they know they don’t have any side effects or will not cause any problems to their health. In the interest of keeping their health conditions normal they tend to be more health and nutrition cautious. Thus this advert takes advantage of that and gives the consumers a degree of safety if they follow the suggested tips.
4. The need to be affiliated; the producers link the commodities to the unfulfilled desires of the consumers and thus they rely more on the research on the consumer trends to design their products in a manner that will attract the consumers. The advert instills the need for affiliation in a negative way to the consumers of sugar products in that it makes them understand the health challenges they are likely to face when they consume the products.
5. Physiological needs; the photography and the advert pictures in most case can make you make uninformed decisions. Since it is an advert on nutrition it will have more impact on the consumer due to the sensitive nature of the issues discussed.

Assessing the adverts structure

This type of adverts is very striking and it attracts the reader’s attention fast and so the more the content the more the impact it will have on the readers. The sensitivity of the topic also gives the advert a better chance that the readers will surely read it. The readers curiosity to know more on the discussed content of the advert and thus they will read it (New York Times). The structure is descriptive in nature as it starts with the trends in the market on the changing consumer needs then followed by the research done on the effects of these changes in the environment in terms of the changing consumer preferences and tastes which is replicated to the productive trends of the producers.

The risks imposed by the continuous consumption of these sugar components in this society has a long history and the writer warns of these consequences to start emerging on the future if the situation is not corrected thus advising the consumers that they have exclusive powers to influence these trends since they have a direct relationship with it.

Conclusion

The advert is not in any way a manipulative one, it is a guiding one and it gives the proven research on the effects of sugar in the society. The essay is descriptive of the emotional appeals to the consumers and the perception they have on it. It also examines the impact on the readers and its ability to influence them to change their eating habits.

Works cited

Dotlich, David, and Noel James. Action learning: How the World’s top companies are recreating their leaders and themselves. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998.

New York Times. “Sugar Is Back on Food Labels, This Time as a Selling Point” Dine and wine. New York Times. 2009. Web.