Advertising at dinner...

My husband and I went to dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory which we hadn't been to in about six years. I was irritated to open the menu and find that every page of the menu had a full page ad on the left side. I came to the restaurant for dinner, not to be solicited. Is there any place safe from advertising?

A reason to worry..

While skimming through Yahoo articles I came across one: "secrets on how to burn calories" or something. One of the tips I thought was applicable to this blog--

Spending more than two hours a day watching TV can increase your risk for obesity by 23 percent, a study from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston indicates. To keep your risk in check, make sure you exercise 30 minutes for every two hours you watch television. If you can't tear yourself away, tape or TiVo your favorite shows. That way you can fly past the commercials (especially those for food) and get through shows quickly; use the time you save to take a brisk walk around your neighborhood or hop on a stationary bike. Better yet, pop in a workout video (find great ones at Self.com) and make the time you spend in front of the tube really count for something.

How interesting that the article justifies skipping commercials because it helps you lose weight by allowing time for other activities and because you won't see food commercials.

Advertisers are smart to be aware that with TiVo and other new technologies, commercials aren't as effective as they once were. Other forms of advertising, like product integration, are more likely to be seen by viewers these days.

Burn 9 Times More Fat (and Other Secrets)

SELF.com

By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 12:37 pm PDT

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthieryou/12183/burn-9-times-more-fat-and-other-secrets/

Warning! Advertisements..

I just thought this was funny.. "Warning" in English is "Advertencia" in espanol.. how close that sounds to advertise.

Commercials: Past and Present

This is a link to a YouTube video of an old feminine hygiene commercial. Advertisers were very careful at what they said on tv. Things have changed in these days as you watch a more recent commercial- that is the second link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avPx_ZcxgTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsZXwIL_-s


Have advertisers crossed the line or are they pushing the envelope just far enough? Are we more informed? Is it appropriate? What do you think?

Misleading Ads- Avoid them!

Recently my dad sent me the link below with an interesting article about "detecting misleading ads." The article gives hints on how to figure out if the product is legit or whether they are trying to lead you into believing they are more healthy, safe or "green" then they truly are. All the info below is taken from the article:

Here are some ways to determine if advertising claims are fact or fiction...

Words matter. Look for specific rather than general claims. The following words are essentially meaningless because they are too vague and/or there aren't any standard definitions for them:

• Natural
• Hypoallergenic
• Nontoxic
• Fragrance-free or unscented
• Free range
• Hormone-free
• Antibiotic-free
• Eco-friendly, environmentally preferable, or eco-safe
• Green

The article says to look for specifics, such as:

• Made from post-consumer recycled paper
• Formaldehyde-free
• No additives
• No animal byproducts
• No parabens
• Phosphate-free

The article also give links to multiple websites of experts who check the credibility of products.

Check it out.

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/79/how-to-detect-misleading-ads.html

This got me thinking though, how many of us really check for these things-- and if the item isn't "green" we'll put it back on the shelf? What is more important to you, environmental safety or price? Do you check to see how healthy, or unhealthy, and item is before purchasing it? Or do you just know, hey cookies might not be the best thing for me but they're good. I don't know, you tell me but in my case I don't check to see if my make up or moisturizer is checked on animals-- so call me a bad person.

Hooked

I know, here I go again. But I just signed into pandora and up pops an advertisement.. with no way of escaping. Yep there wasn't a minimize or exit button, nor could I move the box from the middle of my screen.

Weren't we just talking about this is class? Interesting. Pandora got us all hooked-- great personalized music with no commercials and then BAM. ha I didn't really mind though, it lasted maybe 10 seconds.

Has anyone else recently found pandora to have more advertisements creepin' in? Comment!

Visualize

The black and white silhouette says: "Obesity finds it hardest to catch up with those who are running" It is an ad for a gym.

Not only are advertisers using commercials, billboards or pages in magazines, but on the sidewalk, on shopping bags, and on public transportation. This is like what DeShelle said earlier, no place is off-limits.