Fast food companies aggressively advertise through various media channels like sporting events, social media, mobile apps, commercials and billboards. Their advertising often promotes unhealthy messages by portraying fast food as nutritious and using fit celebrities. It is important for consumers to become more media literate and monitor their fast food intake of trans fats, calories, fat and sugars. Taking personal responsibility and customizing social media can help combat misleading fast food advertisements.

1. FAST FOOD ADVERTISING
JOSH PAXSON, LUKE HALL, BRYSON HALL, TIM ROBINSON,
CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ

2. SPORTING EVENTS
• When attending a sporting event traditionally patrons enjoy a large soda and some fried
finger food. Now with the popularity of a variety of fast food options available at sporting
venues the nutrition of the options available has not improved.
• Young kids are highly influenced at sporting events and it is important along with teaching
kids to stay active that we encourage them to also make nutritious food choices.
• The food options we offer at major sporting events need to be improved with health in
mind.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA
• Fast Food companies run promotional campaigns through their social media
accounts.
• The most common thing done by fast food companies through social media
is communicate with their customers, and handle their complaints.
• The target audience for social media is normally for a younger audience.

4. MOBILE APPLICATIONS
• Fast food companies are utilizing aesthetics within apps
• McDonalds happy meal e-Books
• Interactive games (Baja blast or bust, McPlay, Flavor of the World)
• Product placement flooded within applications in every corner

5. COMMERCIALS
• Commercials are shown everywhere: on TV, YouTube, apps, etc.
• Fast food is unhealthy but all people in the commercials are fit:
• Use of celebrities and professional athletes
• Fast food is presented as being nutritional and nourishing
• Sexual innuendo in commercials (Hardee’s)

6. BILLBOARDS
• The billboards are using fit, famous people to promote their food.
• What they often put on the billboards are:
• Celebrities
• Cars
• Outrageous settings as in the beach, space, ect.
• Photo shopping the food to look better than how you receive it.

7. REALITY CHECK
• “20% of all American Meals are had in the car.”
• “Americans spend 10% of their disposable income on fast
food every year.”

8. FAST FOOD STATISTICS

9. WHY IS IT SO CONCERNING?
Fast food companies will continue to advertise in these ways
because it is proven to be effective.
Fast food consumers often do not have easy access or neglect
to take into account the Nutritional Facts of the fast food items
they are consuming. It is crucial that consumers monitor their
intake of the following:
• Trans Fats (IP-TFA)
• Calories
• Grams of Fat
• Sugars

10. TAKING ACTION
• All we can do to combat these advertisements is gain an awareness of them and become
more media literate
• Strategies to become media literate:
• Become more skilled at designing messages
• Take personal responsibility
• Examine your mental codes
• Strengthen your personal locus

11. TAKING ACTION (CONT.)
• Social Media sites like twitter and Facebook offer you ability to customize the
messages you see by the pages you like or follow.
• We need to restrain from blame others and recognize the problem is fueled
by ourselves as well.
• Program our habits to serve our values and needs.
• After analyzing goals the next step is finding the initiative and energy
necessary to succeed your goals.

12. MEASUREABLE RESULTS
• Our goal is to make average American children conscious of the
messages they see
• Broaden exposure (examine healthier alternatives/take a harder
look at what we buy)
• Periodically examine goals
• Distinguish the reality from the fantasy
• We would like to see the American education system
incorporate media literacy into public schools