Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to hear from Beauty Expert Jackie Silver about a growing marketing trend in the media.
"Jackie Silver is Aging Backwards and she shares her secrets, tips and shortcuts in her books, on her website, AgingBackwards.com, on TV and radio, in print and in person. She is a frequent television and radio guest, and contributor to and featured expert on numerous beauty, lifestyle and anti-aging websites."
This shift in the media's language, specifically from the word 'diet' to 'skinny', has effected the public in a rather devious way. The use of the word 'diet' when advertising food/drink products creates negative feelings in the consumer, whereas the use of the word 'skinny' is very positive and tricks the consumer into buying the same product. Read on to learn more about what Jackie has to say.
"Skinny is the new “diet” and Jackie Silver from AgingBackwards.com has sorted out for us what that means.
According to a new report in Ad Age, the words “light” and “diet” are out and “skinny” is in when it comes to marketing buzz words.
So, what does skinny mean when found on a menu or product? Marketers want you to think that the product will somehow make you thinner, but in reality, there are no regulations for the word skinny found on labels.
That being the case, it’s always best to read the ingredients and to take note of the serving size. This happens all the time: you see something small that lists calories as 150 (per serving). Upon closer inspection, that “small” item is actually 2.5 servings, bringing the total number of calories to...well, you do the math – it’s good practice for future labels, wink.
The reason for this trend is because, “Apparently calorie-counting consumers find the word 'skinny' easier to digest than 'diet' because the latter is more negative and associated with sacrifice,” according to the report.
Instances of the word "skinny" on menus has also increased dramatically. "The incidence of drinks billed as 'skinny' increased 533% in a comparison of the fourth quarter of 2011 and the final two quarters of 2010. Most popular among the skinny offerings was the margarita, often incorporating fresh juices, agave nectar and/or low-calorie mixers to reduce the calorie count. Mojitos and martinis with lower calories were also added by numerous chains," according to Technomic.com.
Does the word skinny promote a super-thin physical ideal that is unattainable for many? Kit Yarrow, a consumer-research psychologist and professor at Golden Gate University, says food manufacturers can get away with it because they don't use it in too earnest a way. "It's executed in a lighthearted manner," she explains. "Skinny is just the 'it' word right now." She adds, "It personifies food and makes it more endearing."
As you can see, the use of the word 'skinny' is just a nicer way of saying 'diet'. Although this information can be used to soothe those suffering from dieting pains (on the surface, as Jackie explained above), you now know that the same products are being marketed to you, but just in a different manner.
Please let me know if you enjoyed this small article featuring Jackie, and if you would like to see more of this style content in the future. Please go ahead and post any comments/questions/concerns below, and I will answer you as best I can. Thanks for reading!
Luck & Love,
Kaylee Slater
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