News Flash: Shredded Wheat Won’t Make You Smart
I’ll keep this one short; it’s been a long posting week, and there’s still a whole bunch of June left to go in this WordCount 2013 Blogathon I’m involved in!
So there’s this: Apparently, Kellogg, makers of Shredded Wheat, have had to apologize — and answer to a lawsuit — after ads that ran in 2008 and 2009 made this claim in a voiceover: “A clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast of Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal improved their attentiveness by nearly 20 percent.” Turns out, according to news reports I’ve read, that claim is based on research (commissioned by Kellogg!) that didn’t pan out, but they persevered and put the cart before the cereal bowl, presenting a result that didn’t actually happen in the “study.”
Here’s the ad:
My question is this: Did anyone think that eating Shredded Wheat made kids more focused? Any more than anyone thought those Baby Einstein videos were anything but pure entertainment and a chance for mom to take a shower? I’ll answer that myself: “anyone” apparently did take it seriously — seriously enough to sue Kellogg (when their kids were not at least 20% more attentive? Hmmm).
Am I alone in simply assuming that most ads make claims that aren’t true? Oxyclean is great but not foolproof. Frosted Flakes do not a complete breakfast make. No toy is as durable or as fun as it looks on TV, and you won’t look as good in those jeans as the model does.
And I tell my kids these things all the time.
Is it that difficult?
June 6, 2013 @ 9:58 am
We are a country with a lot of lawyers, I think they just look for people/companies to go after.
I work in IT, for marketing departments. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to do a midnight change of a company’s website changing “product A can help with problem B” to “product A may help with problem B” because some corporate lawyer said they’d get sued…So I guess that is job security for me
June 6, 2013 @ 11:04 am
My kids and I talk about that kind of stuff all the time too. And they get it. My 12-yr-old just made a hilarious commercial for a school project, and the techniques he used clearly showed me that he understands the game the marketers are playing.
June 6, 2013 @ 11:09 am
It’s gotten to the point, in our house, that if my 10 yo sees a commercial, he’ll ask, “does that stuff work, really?” He may have taken my natural skepticism too far, but that’s fine with me. Might as well be pleasantly surprised when something he eventually buys actually works as promised!
June 6, 2013 @ 11:22 am
The answer is that YES – many people DO believe claims made in ads, and the ads that make false claims are predatory – targeting those who are uneducated or of lower intelligence. The reason for challenging these ads legally isn’t that WE believe them and were fooled, but to protect those more vulnerable among us ( due to lower education or cognitive ability) from those who would take advantage – they have money too, and Kellogg’s WANTS it.
ALL of these ad claims should be challenged. Does any one REALLY believe that Monsanto is all about protecting the food supply? Unfortunately, YES, and the more these firms are able to speak these lies unchallenged, the more they will start sounding like truth to a significant portion of the population.
June 6, 2013 @ 11:29 am
That is a very good point, Helen, and I’m glad you made it. Predatory is a very apt word. I see those ads for big ag companies as though they’re benignly and selflessly going about feeding the world and I cringe, but not everyone does and that’s a sad state of affairs.
Denise
June 6, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
I agree with Helen’s comments that YES people believe these ads! Sadly! When it comes to our food this seems to be very true. How does anyone believe that a sugary (HFCS) cereal is healthy for anyone and especially children is beyond me. How do we as a society believe that spraying our food with poison is healthy? Yet as a society so many say “they” wouldn’t allow it if it were bad for us! Yet if I do go into a grocery store I see carts filled with this cheap, low quality food. It really is time to stand up and say NO to this kind of advertising, marketing and to low quality, cheap food. I just heard this today “You can not get healthy on unhealthy food.” Great post! Best Regards, Wendy http://wendybottrell.com 2013 Blogathon
June 6, 2013 @ 2:55 pm
Great post! And I agree with the previous posters that people believe what they see on tv. Its easier to believe and buy into it rather than actually try to research and find things out for yourself. Plus all the marketing and advertising is so overwhelming its trying to have an independent opinion about it is a little like swimming against a very strong current!
-from Meg, another fellow blogger on the Blogathon
June 6, 2013 @ 3:24 pm
thanks, Meg. I think the “against the current” thing is very apt, both with advertising and lot of stuff to do with raising kids. Sometimes it’s just easier to give in… 😉
Denise