When asking people about their New Year’s resolutions, you are likely to hear about their well-intentioned dietary goals. Our culture today is fanatical when it comes to weight loss and getting healthy. There are numerous hit TV shows such as “Biggest Loser,” “Celebrity Fit Club,” and “I Used to be Fat” plus piles of trendy diet books littering a great deal of homes across America that all attest to this craze. With people’s insatiable appetite for slimming down quick, it is no wonder that the big players of the industry are trying to cash in, even if it means being dishonest. So where do we cross the line? Isn’t it unethical when companies are turning out products that claim to be good for you but in truth are the opposite?
By branding and promoting products as healthy, companies are capitalizing on the fact that people will buy almost anything they think will make them healthier, lose weight, or feel better. Some companies have gone to extreme lengths to ensure “healthiness” and “good for you” are intertwined in their brand message but some go too far. It’s simply unethical for marketers to make a product seem healthy just to soothe our guilty conscience and sell their product. While striving to reach your health goals this year, keep the following misleading speed bumps in mind on your road to getting skinny and staying healthy.
-By: Alexis Kapczynski, Kacy Cox, Sara Kaloudis and Josh Bowman.
It is very true that marketers may sometimes mislead consumers through their clever campaign adds and we must be smart consumers. However, also keep in mind that although Vitamin Water does have A LOT of sugars, it also does have a lot of vitamins. Their claim isn’t that it will make you skinny…they are claiming that it will make you “healthier,” like better immune system, more energy, etc. That being said, there a lot of easy weight loss fads that are just schemes tempting people who think “I want results now.” All good things come to those who wait (and exercise).
Good job little IMC-Hawks!