SHORT ESSAY - REPORT

Saatchi, 2010

WHAT?
For this final project, we were required to select an advertisement we decided is inappropriate in terms of the relationship between the culture and its society. The questions asking, "Is this ad suited for the culture of the target audience? Will the right message get through to them?". After browsing for some bad advertisements, we chose the Yoplait Lite ad that has been pulled down due to its unintentional insensitivity towards victims of eating disorders in America. According to its website :

"...Yoplait® Light has made managing your weight absolutely delicious. With 20 flavors at 90 calories, Yoplait Light makes healthier eating SO good!" (Yoplait, 2013).

However, according to Jenni Schaefer from the previous post "Lite or Light", a post-victim of eating disorder, watching this ad has taken her back down memory lane and it invokes bad experiences,perhaps affecting her perception about Yoplait Lite in the future.As quoted from her, "I was shocked by how they really nailed it on the head--that's exactly what I thought every time I opened a refrigerator door. When you live with an eating disorder, you divide all foods into "good" and "bad" categories, like the yogurt versus the cheesecake [in the commercial]," Schaefer said. "Pretty soon everything moves into the bad category." (Stampler, L, 2011)
The purpose of this ad through research performs to inform consumers that Yoplait Lite is now a healthier choice and watching your weight won't be a hassle any longer. 

Through our research on the previous post "The victims and factors of eating disorder", we've discovered that majority of Yoplait's consumers are the female audience and so are the victims of eating disorders in America. There are 20 million of female victims compared with 10 million male victims and it normally begins at a young age of estimated 6-12 years old. Eating disorder is apparently a culture in America that largely affects its society. (NEDA, 2013).

WHY?
Our group sees the need for change in this ad because to have victims calling in to complain about the Yoplait commercial upon witnessing it is solid proof enough that it unsettles an amount of American society. Of course, from our research, we can justify that Yoplait has moved from No.1 spot as the widely consumed yoghurt in America to No.2 after the commercial was aired. (Bryson, E, 2012). Also, if Yoplait Lite ad was re-created then it would have a positive effect for the brand itself, as human psychology deems that a bad experience that relates to the ad will cause hesitancy of using the product/service in future.

HOW?
For our recreated ad, we are maintaining our target audience, who are women. We are also maintaining the previous message of the ad "Yoplait lite is easy to maintain weight and is healthy". The aim of our recreated ad is to subtract the unintended issue of eating disorder and focus more on the 'health, weight and convenient consumption' in conjunction with the American Culture through research.

For our re-created ad, we have decided to create a television commercial (TVC). Why? It is because from our research, we can claim that it is more effective in American society because from a statistics research, at least 96.7% households in USA have a television set. From August 2013, there are approximately 114,200,000 American households with television (Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2013). In sum, Americans Love their TV! Also, technology today has made access to the internet through gadgets thus making commercials more accessible. (Refer to previous posts "Television, Commercials and American" & "So How Much Time Do American Spend Watching Advertisements").**

To begin creating this commercial, we have researched about the American breakfast culture - which is deteriorating due to the busy lifestyle and emergence of fast food chains as researched in previous post, "**American Breakfast Culture". Through research, yoghurt is often consumed for breakfast as it is rich in calcium in comparison to certain cheeses and it's suitable for lactose intolerant Americans (S.R, Donna, 1994). Understanding our subject (yoghurt) and viewers' (Americans) breakfast culture helps us to create a better TVC that can reach out to its audience. 

Moving on, we've also researched upon eating disorders (Types, Symptoms and Effects, Factors & more : refer to previous posts) to be cautious about what NOT to portray in our recreated ad. We've also conducted research (refer to "**Consumer Reception Towards Bad Ads Over Long Run") to understand the consequences of bad ads to know what to AVOID doing. 

Our research on the popularity of Yoplait has allowed us a broader spectrum of target audience that helps us to decide who we want the TVC to be recreated for (refer to post "**Popularity of Yoplait in American's Society"). Research on "**Are Americans Very Health Conscious" is conducted to understand how much Americans value their health, how they view 'health' in order for us to continue with our TVC. In terms of health, we've chosen yoga to help relate more to our target audience (women) because according to research, there are 20:10 (million) female : male yoga practitioners in America (American Yoga, 2012).

To further confirm our target audience of Yoplait Lite, research on "**Consumer Psychology & Women Consumers" is done to understand how the female category approaches advertising and consumerism. For our TVC, we would be indicate the actress using American public transportation which is a culture there through our research, "**The Yellow Cab". 

Technical wise, we would like to use the spilt-screen effect to suggest the busy lifestyle of the woman. For this part, we have researched on "**Where People Tend To Focus On The Screen" as in the left or right side of the screen. Apparently, the left side of the screen is where we would normally focus on!

The story behind our TVC portrays an average American woman waking up in the morning. Apparently she is a health-conscious citizen and she exercises (this is where yoga comes in) and later changes into working apparel. Before leaving for work, she grabs a Yoplait Lite, hails a cab and consumes the yoghurt. This shows that although she is a busy American, she doesn't skip her breakfast as she is health-conscious and Yoplait Lite is the best choice to start your day with. The yoga in the TVC is an indicator that she is a health-conscious American where as the spilt-screen indicates her busy lifestyle. 

In conclusion, our TVC is readvertising on the reason why Yoplait Lite should be consumed by viewers in relation to the culture that it is made for through our research and it should no longer hold any sentiment of eating disorders. 

By VANESSA VERA

*This post is strictly unofficial. For educational purposes only and is based on student opinion and research. Not for any other uses.

REFERENCES:
- American Yoga, 2012: How Many People Practice In The United States? [Online] Avalable at: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/american-yoga_n_2251360.html> [Accessed on 26 November 2013].


- Astley, 2013. Top 5 US Yogurt Brands - Yoplait top, Chobani Toppled, Dannon trails... .[online] Available at: <http://www.dairyreporter.com/Manufacturers/Top-5-US-Yogurt-Brands-Yoplait-top-Chobani-toppled-Dannon-trails> [Accessed on 14 November 2013]

- Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2013. American Time Use Survey Summary. [online] Available at: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm [Accessed: 17 Nov 2013].

-Contributing factors & prevention, The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). [Online Video] Available at:< http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diversity> [accessed on 11 November 2013]

-Diversity, 2013. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). [Online Video] Available at:< http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/diversity> [accessed on 11 November 2013]

- S.R, Donna & F,Kathleen, 1994. What's for breakfast?: Light and easy morning meals for busy people. Mankato: Apple Tree Press, Inc. 

-  Jansson-Boyd, C, 2010. Consumer Psychology. Berkshire : McGraw-Hill International.

- Gray,E, 2011. Does this Yoplait commercial encourage eating disorders? [online] Available at: <http://www.thatsfit.com/2011/06/17/yoplait-ad-eating-disorders/>. [Accessed 1 November 2013]. 

- McGovern, C, 2009. Sold American: Consumption and Citizenship, 1890-1945. Chapel Hill:University of North Carolina Press

- Most Americans Are Health, 2011. Conscious, But Behavior Varies By Age [Online] Available at: <http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/mid/1508/ArticleId/762/Default.aspx> [Accessed on 19 November 2013]   

 - Stampler,L, 2011. Yoplait pulls ad said to promote eating disorders. [online] Available at: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/15/yoplait-pulls-ad-that-pos_n_877618.html> [Accessed 1 November 2013]. 

- Statisticbrain.com. 2013. Taxi Cab Statistics | Statistic Brain. [online] Available at:  http://www.statisticbrain.com/taxi-cab-statistics/ [Accessed: 21 Nov 2013].

- Webdesigner Depot. 2013. Understanding Your Brain for Better Design: Left vs. Right. [online] 
Available at: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/understanding-your-brain-for-better-design-left-vs-right/ [Accessed: 25 Nov 2013].

- Yoplait, 2013. Yoplait light yoghurt. [online] Available at: <http://www.yoplait.com/products/yoplait-light> [Accessed 14 November 2013].

- York.B,E, 2012. Greek yoghurt causes a stir with triple-digits gains. [online] Available at: <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-16/business/ct-biz-greek-yogurt_1_greek-yogurt-chobani-tula-foods> [Accessed 1 November 2013]. 

** indicates previous posts that can be found on the BLOG ARCHIVE on right panel.