Cheerios, are they heart healthy?
Kayden A.R. Gill
Bio-Med Science Academy
Cheerios, are they heart healthy?
Cheerios are a standard part of American life. Made by General Mills, the consumers of Cheerios span across the United States, making this bland, or honey flavored treat many Americans’ first solid food, warming the hearts of families everywhere (Cheerios Inc., 2013). The Cheerios brand is incredibly popular due to its variety of flavors and loyalty to being American made. Cheerios has also gained many followers by going GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), and Gluten-free, thus collecting many GMO crazed citizens, along with Gluten-free dieters, and allergy ridden civilians, but changing a recipe isn’t a surefire way to stick around
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for seventy-five years, so how did they do it (Cheerios Inc., 2013; Off keys and a cheerio to GMO, 2014)?
Easy, just infiltrate the center of America’s source of amusement, the television. This important device has changed the world of advertising, and Cheerios knows it. Ever since the TV advertisement game began Cheerios has consistently come out on top, with creative commercials, catchy slogans, and some of America’s favorite characters, including Buzz the Honey Nut Bee, but how long could it last? Apparently pretty long. “Just Checking”, a commercial, rather famous for its racial diversity, and cuteness, wildly exceeded many people's expectations for a cereal commercial, becoming very successful in doing its job. Cheerios wanted to create a commercial that accomplished three simple tasks, get their name out there, thus increasing profit, and emphasizing the health benefits of their nutritious breakfast food. They were very successful in doing so. They also accidentally achieved an amazing accomplishment by including an interracial family as the main characters, which sparked a nationwide talk on the importance of interracial acceptance. …show more content…
It seemed harmless, but it caused quite the uproar in the States (Cheerios Commercial Leaves Bitter Taste, 2013). “Just Checking” aired in 2013, as one of many Cheerios commercials (Cheerios, 2013). The main purpose? Increase profit and sales. The only way a company can increase sales is by putting their name out there, something Cheerios is very good at. At the beginning of this commercial, a young girl walks up to her mother with a box of Cheerios. She proceeds to ask if what her dad told her, about the heart health of Cheerios, is true (Cheerios, 2013). One of the first words spoken in the commercial is the brand’s name, and both characters say it. This reinforces the name in the mind of the viewer, encouraging them to remember, thus effectively advertising the name. The scene cuts with the little girl run off with the box of cereal and opens with a man, presumably the girl’s father, covered in the “o” shaped treat. A new scene opens with a man seen sleeping on a couch, a conspicuous pile of cheerios lay over his heart (Cheerios, 2013).
The man stirs, and awakens to find the mound of breakfast food on his chest, left to wonder why it was placed there, and by whom (Cheerios, 2013)? The viewers at this point are supposed to be able to infer, from the given information, that the daughter has placed the cheerios there for her father’s health, but why? Well, looking back to the beginning of the commercial, the daughter asks her mother if Cheerios were actually heart healthy, and her mother responds, reading right off the box that they indeed were. So, from this, it is appropriate to think that the young girl placed the Cheerios on her father’s chest, right over his heart, to make his heart healthy. This is a very stereotypical childlike response, much like how a toddler will stop crying if their “boo-boos” are kissed better, or if a colorful Band-Aid is placed over them. The scene is supposed to be easy to follow, because it is relatable, as most everyone has met a child in their lifetime. It also adds a helpful hint of comedy, and warm, fuzzy feelings to make the Cheerios brand seem more desirable. While the commercial is simple, this cute scene does a very good job emphasizing the health benefits of Cheerios. The cuteness factor most likely helped the commercial gain attention, but whether or not they meant to, the makers also drew in attention from the “atypical” family
depicted. “Just Checking” gained a massive amount of attention for a thirty-one-second video. A huge reason for this is because it aired as a Super Bowl XLVII (47) commercial. The Super Bowl is famous for making commercials, well, famous, and apparently, something involving a ball and an intense game of leapfrog. Unfortunately, an overwhelming amount of that attention was not positive. “Just Checking” generated a huge amount of racially negative attention, so much so, that it triggered a mass introspective event, where people had to take a moment to look at the problem of “standard” and unconscious, covert racism in American Society (Cheerios Commercial Leaves Bitter Taste, 2013). General Mills even had to disable the YouTube comments, so they could no longer be seen, or added to (Cheerios Commercial Leaves Bitter Taste, 2013). Many Americans were surprised that this type of attitude still existed in modern day society, some not so much, luckily though, this event also opened up many new doors of discussion. People started to talk about the importance of representing the ever-growing population of interracial families, in modern media (Cheerios Commercial Leaves Bitter Taste, 2013). While the racism cannot be undone, America has the opportunity to turn this into a learning experience and take something good away from it. Shortly after this controversy arose, General Mills released another commercial called “Gracie” (Cheerios, 2014). This commercial featured the same family, and showed that General Mills would not stand down, and intended to support America’s ever-growing diversity (Seinfeld, 2014). A win for the good guys. Advertisements are a complex form of communication between producers and consumers. Besides the overall entertainment value, which does draw many folks in, “Just Checking” does a great job pushing information needed to get people to one, remember Cheerios’ product, and two, go out and buy it. The clip makes sure to mention the Cheerios name at least twice, keep the cereal itself in the frame at all times, and to consistently push that their product improves heart health, something that Americans strive to achieve. It also pulled off the very hard task of getting people to rethink the current belief system of America. If humans had a choice, I truly believe that they would avoid facing problems at all costs, only taking care of things when brought to their immediate attention. Cheerios does just that. Next time that clicker compels you to change the channel on a commercial, think about what it really means, and how it could affect someone’s life, or you know just change the channel, because commercials are boring. Unless it is the Super Bowl.
Cheerios is a healthy cereal that uses ethos to relay a message on people that are dieting. General Mills provides this message to those who have been eating unhealthy and want to find good diets. I chose this ad because this is one of my favorite cereals and want to know more on how and if it actually lowers cholesterol. The ad is bright yellow and with the cereal box in the center, it is appealing to the eye. This is a very popular message seen in different types of media, such as commercials and the Internet. General Mills uses ethos with the Cheerios box and the language used to determine credibility.
Cheerios currently targeting: An older age group, with the message of lowering cholesterol. Another problem is makes parents purchase the cereal as a healthy choice for their children. When it comes to college students that not fully aware of health benefits don’t by Cheerios
Nutri-Grain cereal bars were created by the Kellogg Company and first introduced in the 1970’s Australia. They were later introduced to the United States and other countries. As more women began to work outside the home, the ritual of a family breakfast became obsolete as many individuals turned to quicker solutions for breakfast. The Nutri-Grain bar soon became popular as the on-the-go snack during the 1990’s. The cereal bar also comes in a variety of flavors that kids love, from blueberry to strawberry yogurt and has the texture a soft, homemade cookie. This television commercial centers on the theme of fostering a relationship between today’s kids and nature (see Appendix A). As the youth of today spends more time in the electronic world,
The commercial described in Scholes composition is a “well-known Budweiser commercial which tells…the life story of a black man pursuing a career as a baseball umpire” (Scholes, p. 620). Scholes feels that this commercial elegantly proves his theory that video texts can hold a viewer captive and control his thought pattern through the use of visual effects, narrativity, and of course, cultural reinforcement. The commercial itself tells the story of a young black man, working as an umpire in the minor baseball leagues, risen from the provinces, having overcome great racial tension throughout his life, who “makes it” as he is accepted by a white manager after making a close call during a game.
Advertisements are one of many things that Americans cannot get away from. Every American sees an average of 3,000 advertisements a day; whether it’s on the television, radio, while surfing the internet, or while driving around town. Advertisements try to get consumers to buy their products by getting their attention. Most advertisements don’t have anything to do with the product itself. Every company has a different way of getting the public’s attention, but every advertisement has the same goal - to sell the product. Every advertisement tries to appeal to the audience by using ethos, pathos, and logos, while also focusing on who their audience is and the purpose of the ad. An example of this is a Charmin commercial where there is a bear who gets excited when he gets to use the toilet paper because it is so soft.
The cereal makers were really being questioned and criticized about what was actually being put in the cereals that they advertised. It also mentioned how that a third of the brands of cereals produced had sugar levels ranging up to an alarming 50 percent, which meant tha...
Cheerios are a breakfast cereal eaten by millions of Americans everyday. General Mills shares to the public through their ads that Cheerios are a healthy breakfast and snack that brings the benefits of oats, low sugar, and vitamins and minerals into our diet. Honey Nut Cheerios is one of the many cereals that General Mills have in which they claimed is good for our health because of the ingredients they use. Some of the ingredients that are in the cereal have raised red flags to consumers like the sugar content that is much higher than other cereals and the GMO’s that are in it. Since these information is not widely publicized, consumers who are unaware of the different serving sizes and ingredients will consume a higher amount of unwanted
This label makes Cheerios seem like a “healthy conscience choice” when in fact they are not healthy at all. The truth is that this breakfast cereal is highly processed and is best avoided despite the “healthy halo” of being approved by the National Heart Association and GMO free. The truth appears on the nutrition label and the ingredients (Wartman). “If you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it” The voluntary labeling places a burden on the consumer. The average American is forced to navigate a confusing and cluttered food landscape” (Wartman).
The Cheerios “Just Checking” commercial achieved its purpose of being one of the few companies to display an interracial family. Interracial families exist all of the country but are at times left out of television and advertisements. With everyone’s reactions came Cheerios counter reaction with a second commercial. Piecing all of this together you could understand that Cheerios knew exactly what they were going to get themselves into give or take the intensity. This advertisement is a perfect resemblance on how times are changing and so is majority of the public. During this time Cheerios created and strengthened their consumer loyalty giving them a sturdy foundation. With this foundation Cheerios is able to continue on their path in equality and maybe we will see more advertisements involving the new society norms.
There were comments referring to the commercial such as “it was disgusting” or “it made me want to vomit,” (Goyette). These are few of the many harsh comments made by individuals. One that stood out to me was stating the shock that an African American man actually stayed with his family (Goyette). Thus expressing not only their hatred and disgust of biracial families but stereotyping of your typical African American father as society views them. Although this stand still of the Cheerios commercial depicts society’s “typical” biracial family, there’s more to it than a Caucasian mother, African American father and light skinned babies with pretty eyes and a head full of curly hair. The mother could be African American and the father could be Caucasian, or they could be a completely different race. The child also doesn’t have to be necessarily light skinned, have pretty eyes, with a head full of curly hair. Society fails to realize that biracial families come in all shapes and sizes and there isn’t one specific look they should have. For example, all Caucasian families don’t have blue eyes and blond hair; they’re not stereotyped under one category so why should biracial families and their children
Have you ever wondered about what gummy bears are made of ? Well most gummy bears are made from the left overs of pigs and cows . So gummy bears should be made from organic ingredients instead of unhealthy meat products for the betterment of overall health and safety.
Cereal is something everyone eats. A quick and easy breakfast that all can enjoy, but what about when it comes to beliefs, or opinions does that affect what you eat? In this case it did for many people. Around June 14th, 2013 a Cheerio ad came out on television that sparked a racial dilemma, particularly interracial marriages. The ad showed an interracial couple and made people really upset, in turn those upset people displayed their views in a strong way, and not the nicest. Everyone is allocated their opinion but in situations like this it's more of, should people display their opinion to a public ad, no they shouldn't. They are allowed to but there is a time, place, and way to display them and the way they did was not okay.
The central focus behind the digital bleeds selected for display was data, primarily how is data shown, used and accessed in the digital city. Data plays an important role in our lives, as numbers and information is central to decision making and communication, so it makes sense the smart city would adapt and find new innovative ways to pass on data to citizens and visitors. In some examples such as the Hollister lcd screens and the ibis price checker, the data has been displayed for the sake of marketing. Hollister, as a clothing brand aimed at younger people with its distinct line of casual, summer style clothing, helps draw attention through its semi-live feed from surf city, la. The visual represents what Hollister stands for, and thus is a vital part of there new marketing to draw in customers, who too want to live the surf city dream by the beach.
Racism is a repulsive issue that is becoming more and more evident to the people living in America. It is not something that is taken lightly in society today, and it can be extremely offensive to many. Even though everyone reacts differently to it, it is important for all people to make an honest effort to respect others regardless of their racial and ethnic backgrounds. People must change their stereotypical thoughts about others and help decrease or end racism by addressing any issues in which racism is concerned. Results in response to different approaches to confront the situation have occurred, but it still remains very real within our world today. Although some changes have been seen, racism in advertising is still tremendously evident due to very weak, offensive comical attempts, the unawareness of advertisers, and the depiction of society’s ideal person.
Commercials and advertisements are becoming more diverse and inclusive by reaching and appealing to different public audiences than they did even 10 years ago. It is evident that companies are making an effort to include different publics, such as the LGBTQA community, which leads people to believe companies have gained a sense of enlightenment. Red Rose Tea’s commercial does a great job at using unspoken assumptions and persuasive techniques to get people to buy the company’s product. The commercial by Red Rose Tea, named “Bringing People Together One Cup at a Time”, brings together an assuming father and his daughter. In the commercial, a daughter and her father are having some tea when they get a knock on their door.