For this part, you are required to write a composition on the topic Foods are overwhelming
ly the most advertised group of all consumer products in the United States. Food products lead in expenditures for network and spot television advertisements, discount coupons, trading stamps, contests, and other forms of premium advertising. In other media- newspapers, magazines, newspaper supplements, billboards, and radio- food advertising expenditures rank near the top. Food manufacturers spend more on advertising than any other manufacturing group, and the nation's grocery stores rank first among all retailers.
Throughout the 1970s, highly processed foods have accounted for the bulk of total advertising. Almost all coupons, electronic advertising, national printed media advertising, consumer premiums (other than trading stamps) as well as most push promotion come from processed and packaged food products. In 1978, breakfast cereals, soft drinks, candy and other desserts, oils and salad dressings, coffee, and prepared foods accounted for only an estimated 20 percent of the consumer food dollar. Yet these items accounted for about one half of all media advertising.
By contrast, highly perishable foods such as unprocessed meats, poultry, fish and eggs, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products accounted for over half of the consumer food-at-home dollar. Yet these products accounted for less than 8 percent of national media advertising in 1.978, and virtually no discount coupons. These products tend to be most heavily advertised by the retail sector in local newspapers, where they account for an estimated 40 percent of retail grocery newspaper ads.
When measured against total food-at-home expenditures, total measured food advertising accounts for between 3 and 3.7 cents out of every dollar spent on food in the nation's grocery stores. A little less than one cent of this amount is accounted for by electronic advertising (mostly
television) while incentives account for 0.6 cents. The printed media accounts for 0.5 cents and about one-third of one cent is comprised of discount coupon redemptions. The estimate for the cost of push promotion ranges from 0.7 to 1.4 cents. This range is necessary because of the difficulty in separating non-promotional aspects of direct selling—transportation, technical, and other related services.
Against this gross consumer cost must be weighed the joint products or services provided by advertising. In the case of electronic advertising, the consumer who views commercial television receives entertainment, while readers of magazines and newspapers receive reduced prices on these publication. The consumer pays directly for some premiums, but also receives nonfood merchandise as an incentive to purchase the product. The "benefits" must, therefore, be subtracted from the gross cost to the consumer to fully assess the net cost of advertising.
Also significant are the impacts of advertising on food demand, nutrition, and competition among food manufacturers. The bulk of manufacturers advertising is concentrated on a small portion of consumer food products. Has advertising changed the consumption of these highly processed products relative to more perishable foods such as meats, produce, and dairy products？ Has the nutritional content of U. S. food consumption been influenced by food advertising？ Has competition among manufacturers and retailers been enhanced or weakened by advertising？ These are important questions and warrant continued research.
The author's attitude towards advertising can be characterized as ______.
A．admiring
B．condemning
C．uncertain
D．inquisitive
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