What is the nature of fast food advertising in North American, and in what ways does it reflect and influence the continent’s general populace?
Advertising is the process of informing the public regarding certain products through the use of various media instruments. It is one of the oldest practices so far in the world of commerce. Since time immemorial, advertising has been used to attract people to certain products that have been in circulation. Whatever the nature of the product, there is always is the need for advertising so that the product in question may sell. Without advertising, people will never get to know about the products.
The nature of fast food advertising in North America is such that most fast food restaurants depict the advantages of eating fast food in a bid to entice the clients. Using the various media available such as the newspapers and the televisions as well as magazines and tabloids, fast food restaurants take advantage of the urge to indulge in junk food (Mooij, 2009).
It is important to note that fast food is one of the most convenient methods of getting a meal since it offers people the convenience of saving their time and thus they do not feel the pinch. Fast food advertising is based on the cultural aspects that the people living within the region rely on.
The people of North America live in one of the most highly developed regions in the world. Most of cities are metropolitan with most of the populace working and living in the fast lane. This mainly calls for them to be able to cope with the pace at which their lives are revolving.
The use of advertising in the region reflects the pace and speed with which the people live and thus is interpreted into the way that they live their lives. This means that most of the advertising is done to reflect the pace at which life in cities is thus the need to save time on everything.
Most of the advertising that is done is for the people who need to keep up with the pace and culture that has been embedded in them (Santink, 1990). People in the region recognize the need to keep up with the pace that their lives dictate. This mainly means that in order to remain competitive, the fast food restaurants need to appeal to the instincts of the people who they are trying to attract.
Most people in the region are greatly influenced by the advertising that many fast food restaurants use since they are widely acquainted with, and can greatly relate to the advertisements. They may feel like the advertisements that state that a person who is busy and cannot get time to enjoy a five course meal let alone afford it, is welcome to a fast food joint that offers cheap affordable and filling meals to them.
This may reflect upon their lives and influence them to get fast food, which is readily available to almost everyone (Thomas, 2009). Most people in the continent feel the need to be able to grab a bite in the middle of their busy schedules since the minds of most of them are instilled with the importance of the need to work.
As much as there is the lot that regards their health as being of utmost importance, thus shunning fast food, there is still the lot who regard fast food as the most convenient thing next to air they breathe. The people who regard fast food as unhealthy may strive to maintain their fitness standards and avoid all sorts of fast food. They may not be easily influenced by the advertisements for fast food. The advertisements certainly do not appeal to these people since they may feel like it is a threat to their lives.
On the other hand, the nature of fast food advertising in most regions of the world and especially the North American region depict a picture of living in the fast lane which does not call for culinary skills (Ross, 2008). Since most people in North America have grown knowing that fast food will always come in handy when you need to order and eat quickly, it is easy to appeal to many of them with the right type of advertising.
Most advertisements may depict a situation that calls for one to keep on doing what they were doing with little time spent on savoring meals. They call for people to grab quick bites that are not time consuming. There is also the appeal to people’s taste buds. Many people would like to enjoy a tasty meal of French fries or a hamburger and a soft drink to satisfy their cravings for these types of foods.
When trying to understand the advertising industry in terms of fast food in North America, it is also necessary to note that most of the advertising is done in cities that have people who report to offices daily and rarely have time to sit down for a meal.
Most fast food joints that thrive and flourish do so because they are situated in regions that people hardly know each other and they live far from their workstations. This means that if they would like to go and have a full meal at home, it would require a lot of traveling, which would simply, mean that it will not be possible.
This plays a key role in influencing the people who reside in the cities since they may find plenty of convenience in fast food. Fast food has become part and parcel of the lives of people in North America. Fast food is also one of the most advertised methods of getting a meal quickly.
One of the most important things about fast food is that it depicts a picture of being cost effective to many people. Majority of the people realize that it is important to save money on everything that they do. One of the most convenient methods of saving money is by eating fast food.
The advertisements always show where there are bargains with some special offers always being given away. The culture in North America today calls for money saving in things that one does every day and one of the most convenient methods is by saving on daily usage of money. The advertisements show people where they can get affordable food that they will also enjoy.
Advertising plays a major role in influencing the people in the region since the culture embedded in them dictates that they must try to spend more time doing other things like work. During a lunch break, more people are inclined to get a quick bite mainly fast food from some of the most affordable places. The advertisements on fast food will always be an integral part of the lives of the people in the North American region (Carter, 2007).
Advertising will always have an influence on the decisions that people make in the continent of North America due to the fact that people have this firm belief that fast food is there to stay, that it is one of the most convenient, and affordable methods of enjoying a meal at any time a person feels like. The influence is so great and it affects people from all walks of life in the region.
References
Carter, H. (2007). Power in policy: a funder’s guide to advocacy and civic participation.
Nashville, TN: Fieldstone Alliance.
Mooij, M. (2009) Global marketing and advertising: understanding cultural paradoxes. New York, NY: SAGE.
Ross, V. (2008) A history of the Canadian Bank of Commerce: with an account of the other banks which now form part of its organization. London, England: Oxford University Press.
Santink, J. (1990). Timothy Eaton and the rise of his department store. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Thomas, R. (2009). Commercial advertising. Charleston, England: Bibliolife.