As if American's weren't fat enough Taco Bell has decided that we should be eating a fourth, late night, fat-laden meal. Well, we were probably already doing it, but Taco Bell decided to capitalize on this trend by making it their own with the fourthmeal campaign. The problem with doing this is that it normalizes something that previously wasn't as accepted.
Yeah, Americans were eating unhealthy, over-processed abundant amounts of calories before the Taco Bell campaign. But, once there is a name for the act, fourthmeal, and it becomes part of the vernacular, the act itself is normalized. I'm sure some people think that I'm being an uptight health freak. Fast food is ok, once in a while, for the young and fit people shown in the ads. But, in reality the majority of Americans are overweight and inactive. The consequences of promoting eating another fast food meal are real and disastrous.
I know the campaign is all in the name of creative marketing. But don't companies have a responsibility to question how their great marketing scheme affects public health? We've had outrage over campaigns that normalize youth smoking or binge drinking. What about campaigns that normalize and promote the obesity epidemic?
1 comment:
It's kind of interesting that you pose the question of how Taco Bell's marketing campaign affects public health. I almost think it's kind of ironic that other fast food chains like McDonald's and Wendy's are offering healthy options and conforming to the health craze. But when you get right down to it, these fast-food chains are just trying to make money. So if they can do that buy offering healthy options -- great. If they can capitalize on staying open late and fulfilling that midnight craving -- great. At least Taco Bell is differentiating itself from all the other fast food places that are doing the same thing -- trying to conform by marketing themselves as "healthy." I'm all for social responsibility, but I hope Americans can realize they're ingesting some fattening crap when they go to Taco Bell without being told "hey, by the way, this is bad for you."
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