Advertisements

Say one goes on a road trip, has been driving for six hours, and is starving and needs food as soon as possible. This person is somewhat health concsious, and doesn't usually like to make unhealthy food choices, but at this point, this person doesn't care. He has a few hours left to drive, and needs to be back home by a certain time. He is driving on the freeway, and sees a billboard advertising McDonalds.

He is not one to usually get McDonalds because he is aware that there is hardly any "real" food involved, but at this point, he doesn't care - he sees a glorious, beautiful advertisement for McDonalds where the McChicken looks more appetizing than ever, with its lettuce nicely arranged on top of the deep-fried chicken patty. "Well, maybe just this once," he tells himself, and gets off the freeway to the nearest McDonalds. Had he not seen that advertisement, perhaps he wouldn't have craved McDonalds, and wouldn't have chosen to go spend his money there. Advertisements are very important for fast food companies. They know how to get your attention and make you want their food. When ones brain has a set idea of getting a certain food, that person may not stop thinking about fulfilling that craving. That's what fast food advertisements do - they know their food is delicious, they know how to make it look good in pictures, and they know where to put these pictures to get the most attention from consumers.