Food Advertisements in Society

Food advertisements have a large effect on our lives. Whether you see them, hear them, or experience them, these advertisements target you subconscious mindset and it is utterly amazing how much thought companies put into drawing people into their restaurants. Some of the best advertisements come from oligopoly markets. Examples of these types of markets can be seen through Coke vs Pepsi, McDonalds vs Burger King, etc. Large companies battling to be the most well known competitor in the market. Its funny to look at how the companies play off of each other’s marketing strategies. Look at these similar advertisements from Burger King and McDonalds:

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The Burger King advertisement is trying to aim at a more sleek, burger-orientated approach to its strategy. They emphasize a more real view of the burger, which allows this food item to spark hunger in the people who come across this. The most obvious thing that Burger King is doing in this advertisement is the lettering that makes of the ingredients of the burger. This allows the franchise to label their sandwich as opposed to the view being able to associate their own words with what they see if, for example, the advertisement was just a picture of the real burger itself. This advertisement also utilizes ethos and pathos elements to get its point across. The name Burger King is a very credible name internationally so they automatically grasp this by putting their logo in the shadow of the burger. The words used in the advertisement spark emotions of curiosity and hunger at first glance. They are targeting a general audience that is probably under 22 years old.

            Like Burger King, McDonalds is trying to grasp a similar marketing strategy. Their advertisement is more “professional” in a sense because it utilizes the same labeling idea on the ingredients; however, the ingredients are listed and labeled as a more elite status. For example, the words and font encompass a feeling of natural food, healthy, and sleek. This can be seen through the way the lettuce is listed as “the encyclopedia of salad” and the meat has a picture of a steak behind it. This advertisement evokes an ethos and logos feeling to the person viewing it. Obviously McDonalds is a reputable name in the fast food industry so they have that going for them in any marketing situation. The new thing they are aiming at in this is the natural and healthy feeling they exhibit through the pictures and descriptions in the ingredients. This makes the viewer logically think this burger isn’t that unhealthy for them, which is exactly what McDonalds is aiming at.   

            Overall, the McDonalds advertisement is targeting a more mature, wealthier audience as a result of the natural and healthier approach they are taking towards marketing their burger. Burger King is just trying to draw people in to the fact that their burger looks very good in the advertisement from the bubble letter words that make up the burger. Both of these advertisements are trying to move away from the actual item they are selling by building the burger out of words instead of showing what it actually looks like. This is where the idea of the subconscious marketing strategy comes into play. People are aware that eating either of these burgers isn’t a sustainable meal for their health and wellbeing, but if both of the companies were doing it, the only thing there is to compare it to would be the other company who is using the same techniques. The only visual left for people is the fake burger made up of words that doesn’t look anything like what it would if someone were to order it. People make the decision to get one of these items based on how they perceive it from the advertisement. The problem with this is that neither of these products offers any of the ideals portrayed in the advertisements.

            The appeals displayed in these advertisements offer a nice glimpse of food and culture values as a result of the idea that we as consumers don’t necessarily take into account what we are eating. We can be influenced by how the items are presented to us instead of the actual nutritional value or sustainable development of the product. This is why food marketing and advertisement is so influential in our society today.