Kellogg's Special K: Then and Now

In relation to many of the advertising techniques described by Jib Fowles, I thought that it would be interesting to compare the messages and techniques used in an old advertisement versus a new one. I found this old Special K ad on Youtube, and I could not find the original date, but I'm assuming that it is from the '50s. I also found a more recent Special K ad, so let's take a look at how they are similar and different.

According to Fowles, this ad, in my opinion, features the need for guidance because of the guy on the TV advising the quality and health benefits of Special K. However, maybe it's just because I'm exhausted from seeing the Harry Potter premiere last night, but I don't see much of the others on Fowles's list. The ad is very straight forward, Dennis James emphasizes the importance of protein (I love how he pronounces it pro-te-in!), so perhaps they are pitching this product with science.

This advertisement is so obnoxious. One, the girl is already SO thin. Why does she need some low-fat cereal that is used as a weight-loss food? Even more annoying is the line, "Because we all know, a girl needs variety to look good". It's stated as if it is some universal secret for women that we need options, and we must use all of them, to fit into that size 2 red dress. It is also expected that there is a need for autonomy here-now women have the freedom and choice to make the best diet purchase for them. If someone who actually NEEDS to lose weight wants to diet, whey can't she have REAL food instead, as opposed to this many ingredient-laden, HFCS filled "food"?

I'm noticing a trend in these Special K ads: each one begins with a sad, down-trodden woman, either wearing gray clothes, or a long coat, in a wintery or cold setting. By the end of the ad, once she discovers the joy of this diet, and the instant gratification of wearing a sexy red dress, everything is sunshine and rainbows. It's saying as if you go on this diet, your life will be happier and more cheerful. I also see a need for affiliation here: by the end of the ad, the woman approaches her friends who are complimenting her. Subconsciously, it is seen as getting the attention for your new body. Coinciding, this is the need for attention, to be looked at, and as Fowles says, "an object of fascination." In the end, these feelings are fleeting, and women are left cold and depressed again-only to look for some other futile dieting method.

Of course one of these ads has to have a guy in a gravely voice, as a pint of ice cream, tempting the lonely woman who is desperate for a late-night (and according to magazines, indulgent and forbidden) snack. There are also sexual undertones with the ice cream saying, "You know you want me", and while it's funny and very corny, the message still lingers. The line, "It gets you your chocolatey fix without undoing your day," tells women that if they do have a pint of ice cream, they are going to ruin all of the restrictive eating habits they had earlier....and therefore, feel guilty for the rest of the night. The more we restrict ourselves, the more we want to binge, and society tells us that losing control once in a while is forbidden: we have to keep ourselves in line, all of the time. It's a vicious cycle that is encouraging by the dieting industry. And of course, an average cereal with "chocolate" (not even good quality chocolate) is NOT going to turn off those cravings.

What do you think of these ads? Especially with how they compare to the old-fashioned one? Interesting that these feature women and not men.