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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

THE "APPETIZING" ADVERTS-AN EMERGING TREND

Promotion of consumer products through various techniques is a must for any industry to survive and grow. Capturing the mind and attention of the buyer and sustaining it are not easy and can cost heavily. While big industry can afford such investments in modern advertisement technology, small and micro enterprises find it difficult to match them limiting their influence to the locality of their operation. Thus the divide between small and big becomes more and more acute that can elbow out the former eventually. The new "brandwashing" strategy based on neuro science principles will eventually enable the large industry players to capture the unconscious side of the brain to influence buying behavior. Now comes the "visual assault" technique through "digital signage" displays which is going to be the industry standard for promotion in the near future.

"There are several reasons why food and meal advertisements are so commonly displayed on digital signage displays. The first is the way an LCD display will make the food look so much more attractive than just a single photograph. Images of food can be videoed allowing such nuances as steam emanating from the dish to make it much more tempting and appealing. Whether menu boards are interactive or looped to display images of all the fare on offer, customers can get to see what the meal looks like rather than have to rely on an enhanced image that commonly bears little resemblance on the true aesthetics of the meal. Another reason why digital signage is commonly used to promote food and meal items is the unique ability it has in scheduling content. No other from of outdoor media can do this and it means that certain adverts can be displayed at certain times of the day. For the food business, this is a great boon as it means that at meal times, such as lunchtime, when passers-by may be hungry or looking for somewhere to eat, the scheduled adverts can appeal directly to this targeted audience".

Digital technology has not left any facets of human life untouched and food-consumer interaction mode through this medium is the latest example of the influence of this awesome technology. A redeeming feature is that digital adverts present a true picture of the food one can get and helps in taking eating decisions. As long as it is not misused by over amplification of the actual visuals, it may be a genuine tool for promotion of products. A serious objection to such adverts is that they stimulate appetite when there is actually no hunger and such a situation can make the consumer over eat. The debate is whether in a country like the US, where 35% of the population is obese, can it afford to push people into this eating "trap". A typical case for inter action between sociologists and the policy makers!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

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