They already got rid of the supersize a McDonalds. Next thing you know
they might fight against a health problem.
Its almost like particular parts of the government have to fight
against things they cannot regulate, like salt consumption. But why
wold they want to regulate consumption? Maybe the psychological power
of advertising is more powerful and successful than it appears at
first look. For why would millions of dollars be spent on ads if they
didn't change people's behavior and choices;
Think about what marketing is. Marketing, if you've got any sense at
all, is not about coming up with a product or service and then just
trying to figure out a way to sell it. Marketing is about figuring out
what people need or want or believe they need and want (which I
actually believe are synonymous), and then creating the product to
suit that need or desire and then selling it. To let the horse pull
the cart instead of vice versa. If you want to know what to make and
how much of it and how to sell it, you really have to ask the
question: What do people need and desire? And there's nothing sinister
about that.
I know there is a body of thought that believes that the marketing
world is out there foisting off unneeded, unnecessary products on
people who are persuaded that they need them. Well, the truth is
that's not how it works. The marketing world is people who make a
living by figuring out what people want or think they want, and then
they make it for them, and then they sell it to them. Do they sell
fear? Do they sell insecurity? Do they sell stuff that you don't think
you need or that anyone needs but someone out there thinks they need?
The answer to all those questions is yes, but fundamentally, the world
of marketing is about fulfilling people's perceived needs and desires.
And they've come up with a whole lot of really good stuff with which
to do that. Maybe someone in Toronto thinks I don't need a VCR. You
know what? I think I need a VCR, and I refuse to cast aspersions on
the world of marketing for making me think so, because I have one, and
I like it.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/interviews/garfield.htm...
How Subliminal Advertising Tries To Make You Fat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vSoax7OX6U
> By Polly Dunbar
> Last updated at 10:38 PM on 28th June 2008
>
> Pot-holed roads, crumbling schools, litter-strewn streets – there’s no
> shortage of problem areas crying out for their attention.
>
> But councils believe they have found a better use for their money:
> reducing the number of holes in chip shop salt shakers.
>
> Research has suggested that slashing the holes from the traditional 17
> to five could cut the amount people sprinkle on their food by more than
> half.
>
> Trickle or Treat: Chip shop owner Carol Ackerman shows off an old
> 17-hole shaker and the new model
>
>
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/28/article-1030164-01C4578E000...
>
> And so at least six councils have ordered five-hole shakers – at
> taxpayers’ expense – and begun giving them away to chip shops and
> takeaways in their areas.
>
> Leading the way has been Gateshead Council, which spent 15 days
> researching the subject of salty takeaways before declaring the new
> five-hole cellars the solution.
>
> Officers collected information from businesses, obtained samples of fish
> and chips, measured salt content and ‘carried out experiments to
> determine how the problem of excessive salt being dispensed could be
> overcome by design’.
>
> They decided that the five-hole pots would reduce the amount of salt
> being used by more than 60 per cent yet give a ‘visually acceptable
> sprinkling’ that would satisfy the customer.
>
> The council commissioned Drywite Ltd – a catering equipment company
> based in the West Midlands – to make five-hole shakers and bought 1,000
> of them at a cost of £2,000, giving them away to fast-food outlets in
> their areas.
>
> Drywite confirms that it has since received orders for the shakers from
> at least five other councils, including Rochdale Borough in Greater
> Manchester.
>
> Another giving the shakers away is Labour-controlled Middlesbrough
> Council, where the idea has run into fierce criticism.
>
> Cllr Chris Hobson, leader of the Conservatives, said: ‘This is just
> silly, a total waste of money in an area where council tax is very high.
> I’m all for good health but do they really think they are going to stop
> people using as much salt simply by putting fewer holes in thecellar?
> They’ll just shake it for longer.’
>
> Beryl Scott, who owns the Chipchase Chippy in Linthorpe in the city,
> said a council worker had visited the previous week to explain the
> merits of less salty fish and chips. ‘He said he had a salt cellar with
> five holes to give me free.
>
> I thought it was a joke. It doesn’t matter how many holes it has, people
> are going to put on as much salt as they want.’
>
> Another local chip shop owner, Carol Ackerman, who runs Carol’s Plaice
> in the suburb of Acklam, said: ‘People will just put on more salt if
> they want more.
> ‘In fact, we have had some people unscrewing the lids to do so.’
>
> Gateshead Council defended its decision. A spokesman said: ‘Research
> carried out by us discovered customers were often receiving huge
> quantities of salt with their fish and chips – up to half their daily
> allowance. The council was so disturbed it decided to commission a
> manufacturer to produce a salt shaker with fewer holes, which it
> distributed free to every fish and chip shop and hot food takeaway in
> Gateshead.
>
> ‘We believe the cost to be a small price to pay for potentially saving
> lives.’
>
> The scheme is being promoted by the Local Authorities Coordinators of
> Regulatory Services, which is responsible for ensuring councils follow
> food hygiene rules. A spokesman said: ‘Heart disease costs taxpayers
> £7billion a year so to say that projects such as this are a waste of
> money is mind-boggling.’
>
> Where do you stand on the salt debate? Tell us your opinion below.
>
> Find this story
atwww.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1030164/Now-health-safety-cut-number...
