Dieting and diet products are a huge part of the advertising market. In most women’s magazines you will find several different ads for all sorts of diet products. In the March 2013 issue of Woman’s Day magazine there were four different ads for diet aids and products. The primary appeal used in most advertising is an emotional one but most also use ethos and logos as well. In the following essay we’ll examine the different diet ads and the type of appeals each use to convince the public to buy and use the product.
In the full page ad for Sensa, a diet product you shake onto your food, the title itself calls attention to the page with a bold print logo and bright green and red backgrounds. Hints of the green color then follow to highlight other important points of the advertisement. Using ethos the ad utilizes a testimonial by a customer to relate to the target audience which in this instance is apparently moms who are overweight and having trouble losing weight. The customer begins by telling the reader that she is back to her pre-baby weight and how happy this makes her.
The advertisement seems to be playing on most women’s insecurities about their bodies and their weight especially after pregnancy. The advertisement almost resembles a magazine article in its style and the story continues with how hard it was to lose weight and how this person understands the hardships associated with being overweight. This is an example of using pathos or emotion to highlight the struggle many women have known when trying to lose pounds and failing. Ethos is also used with the introduction of the doctor who developed Sensa.
The ad tells us that he is a “neurologist” and that he is “one of the world’s leading experts on smell and taste. ” (Sensa) It seems apparent that this is to make the reader aware of the credentials of the inventor so that they may feel more comfortable about buying the product. An example of logos used in the ad comes in the logical steps used in losing weight. Just shake it on everything you eat and lose weight or “Shake, Eat, Lose! ” as the advertisement puts it. The advertisers offer a special free trial which is on a deep, red background.
This tactic of course is a way to persuade as many people as possible to try the product hoping that it will generate sales in the future. The advertisement for Jenny Craig is more a straightforward ad. Large, bold, blue and orange print grab the reader’s attention with the statement “Want to lose 3x more weight than dieting on your own? ” The page is has pictures of a woman blowing bubbles and looking at a child playing on a playground as if to say to readers that this is what you can do if you use our product to lose extra pounds.
It appeals especially to mothers who want to lose weight so that they have the energy to keep up with, and play with, their kids. The other picture is of what presumably is a Jenny Craig meal of bright, green, fresh vegetables with chicken and potatoes. It would seem that the food photo is used to persuade the reader that it is easy to lose weight with this program because the food is so delicious. The advertisement urges the reader to contact Jenny Craig for a personal weight lose consultant.
This tactic is used to demonstrate to the reader that they don’t have to go through this difficult process alone, that someone can help them through it. The ad also uses a well-known organization in its advertisement. “Proud supporter of American Heart Association” along with the AHA logo is toward the bottom of the page and is likely used to show the reader that using the Jenny Craig plan is good for their health and also to lend more credibility to the product. The advertisement for Almased is another ad that is made to look more like an article than advertising.
It states at the top that it is an advertisement but uses considerably smaller print than that of its bold title in red which says “Finally A Weight Loss Plan That Works. ” There are very few pictures mostly text in this ad. The text is broken up into segments each with its own heading about what readers can achieve with the use of the product. There is “My Bikini Plan” and “9 Ways Almased works in the body” along with a segment referring the reader to a licensed, registered dietitian.
The article seems very straightforward and uses a logical approach to marketing listing the ways that Almased is different from other diet aids, that it uses natural ingredients, and that it is safe to use even for diabetics. It goes on to list how it works in the body in a logical step by step manner. The final advertisement is more subtle than the other three. The full page ad is for Special K Protein cereal. The page is centered with a picture of
cereal on top of a jelly doughnut with the filling pooling out. It would appear that if the reader were to buy and eat this cereal that it could help them take on their worst cravings and come out on top. It suggests that the reader will have more willpower to resist temptations such as a doughnut if they have Special K brand cereal instead. What little text there is indicates that, “Special K has 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber” to help consumers feel full and fight their cravings for sweets.
Though mention of this product being a diet aid or supplement is not explicitly stated it is implied by Special Ks slogan of “What will you gain when you lose? ” The ad is simple but direct and works well to show that the product can help reduce hunger and aid with weight loss. The main focus of the ad appears to be its appeal to logos. It is logical to assume if you eat a high fiber cereal you will feel full longer and not give in to cravings for junk food.
In all the advertisements the audience is virtually the same so each one carries the same message but they are different in how they get that message across. In the Sensa advertisement the testimonial concept of the add feels as if a friend is helping you to discover some weight loss secret. Jenny Craig implies that if you use their product you will have more energy to spend on your children. The Almased ad uses a logical approach to convince readers that their product is best because it is a natural, healthier way to lose weight.
Finally the Special K advertisement though subtle is likely the most believable ad simply because it uses the concept that when you feel full longer you are less likely to overindulge.
Works Cited Almased. Advertisement. Woman’s Day. March 2013: 137. Print. Jenny Craig. Advertisement. Woman’s Day. March 2013: 121. Print. Sensa. Advertisement. Woman’s Day. March 2013: 67. Print. Special K Protein Cereal. Advertisement. Woman’s Day. March 2013: 129. Print.