Friday, August 28, 2009

Truth in Advertising

Yesterday I read that in three years, US cigarette manufacturers will be required to print 50% of their packaging with graphic images that portray the consequences of smoking. Shockingly, the US trails other countries in establishing this requirement. I can't understand why we are behind the times. It's not like we are the home to the cigarette manufacturers or anything.
This newfangled "truth in advertising" idea got me thinking. Why stop at cigarette packages? Wouldn't we all be better off if all packaging showed an image of what the product will truly do?

Fast-food hamburger wrappers would have the following photo on them.
I think that would eliminate the need for those microscopic nutrition guides they now post beside the counter, don't you? One look says it all.

Donut boxes could have this image on the front.
But why stop at food? I for one think that all wrinkle creams and high priced face products should be required to have this image front and center.After all, I know I look the same no matter what I use. Heck, I'm 47. No cream is going to make me wake up and look like a twenty-something. But maybe if I saw that image, I'd stop wasting my money.

Any of those lycra, slimming, take inches off clothing would show this image. Remember, the goal is truth.
Additionally, I would also think that any packages of cheesecake, ice cream, and in my case even Doritos would come with the following image.
Yes, I think I like this whole image idea.

126 comments:

Broke But Still Drinking said...

Am I here alone?

Jungle Mom said...

LOL! I love the way your mind works! I am printing those first few to put on my fridge!

Jannie Funster said...

Donuts and wrinkles are my are my life. And I cherish them deeper than my beloved beer.

Barbaloot said...

Alarm clocks should have pictures of people committing violent acts (on the clocks, not people---that's be bad).

Pseudonymous High School Teacher said...

Well, despite the last photo, I am not sure I will be able to eat today.

TheQueen@TerrorsInTiaras said...

After all a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Love the last one, by the way.

A Lawyer Mom's Musings said...

I had to look twice at the donut chair-squish picture to figure out what I was looking at!

And, yes, I confess, Cheeto Puffs always bring out my Toyota jump. Totally.

Morgan @ Diapering and Beyond said...

Those are great! I LOVE donuts, but if I saw a picture like that on the box, I think I'd eat an apple instead!

Great with the wrinkle cream too!!!

Katherine Aucoin said...

The last photo is not only perfect for Doritos and cheesecake, it would be great on wine too!

bermudaonion said...

Oh my, those pictures would surely work!

Michelle said...

You are so clever. These days I just need to look down at the roll on my mid section to remind me not to eat donuts. :)

Erin, Nick and Merrick said...

Ugh! I will ALWAYS have that image of Mr. Guy in the Bed whenever I pass McDonalds!!

Scrappy Girl said...

Amen sister!

The Mom said...

I totally want that chicken that is squeezing the egg out! LOL

Sharon said...

I think before someone gets a face lift they should be forced to sign a recent picture of Kenny Rogers and Priscilla Presley.

Oi.

Christy said...

I LOVE your last image. I must admit, those first couple made me cringe so badly I had to skim the text around them! ugh!

Mango Girl said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! the last picture!

Kristen said...

haha I love it!! I hadn't heard that about the cigarette packages but definitely a good idea!!

Kristina P. said...

I was watching Tyra the other day, which is awesome of course, and there was a 500 pound woman on it that wants to be 1,000 pounds. She loves being fat. I'm sure she would go right for that hamburger.

Alicia said...

i love it!! and if that was on the wrapper i would probably never eat fast food again...ever...

Angie Ledbetter said...

I'll smoke to that. And especially your additions to the advertising campaign imagery.

Mags said...

I think I just lost my appetite...LOL!

Herb of Grace said...

That last image should also go on anything with dark chocolate in it.

Krëg said...

They could put pictures of babies on penises and vaginas.

Musings of the Mrs. said...

Love this post. Particularly the picture of the chicken squeezing out that egg. Priceless.

septembermom said...

Love the last photo. I agree about moisturizer ads. They always show the most wrinkle-free faces. Fun and true post today, Debbie1

Wenbren Explains It All said...

yeah those pictures can add millions for the diet industry! I tell you something I was contemplating on getting that new Angus burger from Mcdonalds because I have a coupon but now I'm gonna stick with my slim fast, I need to remember those pictures to stay motivated!LOL

DeNae said...

I love the suggestion that reproductive parts have pictures of babies on them.

What about a picture of an empty head on all the Twilight books? (Let the bloggy lynching begin...)

And I'm pretty sure I've made it clear, Debbie, that if you are going to use my picture on your blog you really should wait at least until I've stood up. Or was that the time they had to use the jaws of life to save me from that folding chair wedgie?

Suzi said...

Okay, the fat photos would make me stop and think twice about ordering anything. I would probably walk out, leaving the grease, fat, and all it's badness behind....rather than letting it settle on my behind.

shraddha/april@theselfloveproject said...

its crazy..

i agree with you..

i love the photos!

shraddha

Joanna Jenkins said...

OMG! The lycra photo is HYSTERICAL. Your pics are always so fabulous. Where do yo find them!??!?! They always leave me in stitches.

THANK YOU

Have a fab weekend.
xo

shortmama said...

There are great!

Tammy Howard said...

I'll thank you to keep my picture off your donut boxes...

Susan B. at warmchocmilk said...

Those images were pretty shocking, I'm scared! Please dear god let me never see a picture of my butt and have it look like that one hanging off the chair....I'm worried these things can sorda sneak up on ya. Good post!

Amy said...

Great ideas. You should do try this out.

Maria-Thérèse said...

The last photo must be about CHOCOLATE!!!

I created a small tutorial for you on how to make life wonderful (you already know about sugary cereal)

http://blog.afiori.com/2009/08/everyday-magic-vardagsmagi.html

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

The chicken thing - yes! I'm still holding out for a good wrinkle cream, though. I need that to be true. ;) The box of krispy kremes just delivered from my nephew's football fundraiser are, in fact, looking less appealing after reading this post.

Myrnie said...

Heh- love that last photo! The others are just...sad :o( Moderation is key! (And I'm not sure I could ever REALLY give up donuts :)

Mark said...

Funny stuff! One could go wild with images on packaging.

Debbie in Nashville said...

Yes! Great images.

BONNIE K said...

Hey - is that my buddy Manuel in the picture in the bed? He is such a sweet guy!

FrankandMary said...

The sad thing is many people know full well every reason they should not smoke that cig or eat that burger but they are going to do it even if you put: YOU WILL DEFINITELY DIE IF YOU TOUCH THIS on the label. True fact. ~Mary

WhisperingWriter said...

Even if that picture was on a donut box, I imagine I'd still partake. I cannot say no to a donut even if it means my ass will one day be hanging off a chair.

sheila said...

I suppose if they added a dead liver to alcohol bottles, I'd be on board, lol.

It makes me curious why smokes are always banned at stadiums...no one ever smoked a cig...got in a car...and killed someone while under the influence of a cig. Yet alcohol is sold like crazy.

I love all your suggestions as well.

carma said...

This would be great; when I see those wrinkle creams on the internets that transform the wrinkly 40 something to look like a 20 year old - Yeah Right!

Let's add UTZ Cheeseballs to the happy list :D

Maria said...

I am never eating fast food again! Ok, well at least not for a week. Thanks for the picture!

Michele Renee said...

I just had some beer and wings for dinner. I don't feel so good right now. :)

SonyaAnn said...

You are super funny!

Kathi D said...

As usual, you have come up with a GENIUS idea! Why aren't you Queen?

Mamma Christine said...

I agree 100% :D

The Blonde Duck said...

I love this idea. Brilliant!

A Mom on Spin said...

Cheetos are my weakness. . . and my happy dance is always tinged with the morning-after regrets. . .

Bridgett said...

Boy, I could think of a bunch of these images myself, but unfortunately, they're not nearly as funny as yours. LOL

I'd start with vaccines and have pictures of hundreds of autistic children with completely dysfunctional immune systems banging their heads against the wall, screaming because they can't talk.

::sigh::

Boy, I'm a downer, aren't I?

I'm sorry. I just found out MA passed a law basically mandating the Swine Flu vaccine, which had a whole whopping 5 days of safety testing done on it and which contains squalene, an immune booster which is dangerous.

It has me scared and upset. Sorry I'm being a not-so-humorous today.

XOXO

Angela said...

This is hilarious. I love the donut and wrinkle ones. :)
Angela
http://thesuburbanjungle.blogspot.com

Pocket Full of Prettys said...

You always crack me up! I would love to see how your brain works. LOL! Hugs***Renea

pam said...

We have had those pictures on cigarettes here for probably 10 years. Some pictures are pretty disgusting, if I was a smoker, I would think twice.

Infarrantly Creative said...

I am laughing my butt off at all the comments people made...especially:

I think before someone gets a face lift they should be forced to sign a recent picture of Kenny Rogers and Priscilla Presley.

Seriously they look scary! Oh my!

Just Add Walter said...

haha... love those references... especially the lycra one.. can relate!!

thanks for stopping by my blog today!!!

Lyn said...

Love your sense of humour - and wit. You make a lot of good points -- can you imagine?? I swear I would never put a donut near my lips again. : )

Brenda said...

When do these ideas come to you? Its a good thing you found an outlet for all of this on your blog, where were you expressing yourself pre-blog? :)

Alisa Hope Wagner said...

This is great!

Frances said...

I want a donut!

Pricilla said...

Heh, heh. We just butchered our chickens so I am so down with the rubber chicken photo.

I wish they would just stop making cigarettes.

Shawn said...

You are superbly intelligent and I am thinking that you should rule the world!

Midlife Jobhunter said...

I'm thinking you missed your calling. I so would drive away from my comfort meal of a Wendy's #1 with a Diet Coke if they only had your pictures on the drive through menu.

Enjoyed it.

ladyfi said...

Pure genius! The only problem would be persuading the manufacturers to start using those images... well, apart from that last one, of course! Which should be compulsory on all chocolate too.

honeypiehorse said...

That last picture is wonderful - I want to be her.

The Dental Maven said...

If the surgeon general's warning on cigarette packages hasn't worked I'm kinda doubtful about the picture approach. :(

Shrinky said...

So funny, and also so tragically true! I'm taking the fifth on the rest this, being as how I married an Ad-man.. (eek)!

SandyCarlson said...

I am with you. I am thinking of those darned shampoos that are supposed to give my hair bounce and volume. Some truth there would be great.

But I don't really want a pickled liver picture on my wine bottle...

Mother Mayhem said...

BWAHAHA! :o)

Jenni Jiggety said...

That picture would sure cure my urge for fries...

autumnesf said...

Love it!

D... said...

I heard that they already use those scary cigarette labels in Europe. Doesn't seem to work for them!

Kathleen @ ForgingAhead said...

Those photos scared the heck out me! I'm going for a run!

Michaela said...

That last photo is how I feel about ice cream!

Caroline said...

The advertising photos I've caught sight of on packs of cigs are indeed utterly disgusting - yet people still buy em...

floreta said...

hahaha well if the goal is to SELL products, i doubt this will fly with advertisers ;)

thanks for stopping by my site thru SITS! <3 i had JUST joined :)

rather in awe of the # of comments you get. lol. how do you do it?

The Mrs. said...

Holy hell that is brilliant. Still don't think anyone will listen!

Jo@Mylestones said...

The donut illustration made me laugh out loud. Which I totally needed today (says the lady who just polished off the last of the reeses cups).

Jan said...

Love your ideas.

Keyona said...

Guess I won't be eating EVAH again. LOL!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Brian Miller said...

lol. if we could only see the results of our cravings...we would probably be eating even more doritos, ice cream and cheesecake...lol. have a great weekend!

Senora Muertos said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I love the last image. It does explain the feeling one gets with cheesecake.

Jeanne said...

Oh, god, I'm never going to touch doughnuts again.

Kathryn Magendie said...

Haw!! laughing...

I actually had a chicken like that - I did - I used it when I was Clementine in Bat Boy the Musical - I tied it to my rocker *laugh*

Yaya said...

Oh my gosh, you are too funny!

Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2,3 said...

They don't think these things through too well do they?

Mrs. Fish aka Two Fish said...

I love it!! Those are the mental pictures I get when I see those guilty pleasures to remind me NO...but my inner glutton says Aw...just a wittle?

Elizabeth Bradley said...

That was funny.

Franzine Kafka said...

Nice.

Renee said...

Dear friend how are the kids doing at college?

xoxoxo

Heather of the EO said...

I'm never going to McDonald's again.

Hi! I'm Alex said...

Wouldn't that be so much easier? None of that 99% fat free labelling, just show a fat ass.

Hi! I'm Alex said...

Wouldn't that be so much easier? None of that 99% fat free labelling, just show a fat ass.

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

FANTASTIC IDEA!!! I L♥VE IT!!! I'm thinking about throwing all of my face creams away RIGHT NOW!

Come over and enjoy Sunday Citar HERE.

Honey Mommy said...

I should probably post one of those scary photos on my fridge. :o)

Kimberly said...

GREAT IDEA!
I may be a little prejudiced, but every time I see someone smoking I want to ask....REALLY, people still do that? Then I eat doughnuts, glad I didn't say that out loud!

mommyknows said...

We've had those lovely images on our smokes for many years in Canada (20 maybe ... maybe 15).

I love your fast food warning images.

You made me laugh, as always.

Amy said...

Boy, ain't THAT the truth!

Theta Mom said...

LOL! You are hilarious. Although it looks crazy, it's true! Everything in moderation, right?

bj said...

I just came over from SITS to say good morning and I'm so glad I did. I love your blog...gonna sign up to follow your cute personality!!
bj

naperville mom said...

hahaha...can always rely on yr humor, wonder whether those eye- lifting and anti- crows' feet creams'd sell with that pic on the label!:)

Louise said...

ESPECIALLY Doritos! (Laughing hysterically!)

Queen of Feisty said...

I agree that they should show what smoking does. I for one have never smoked, and I think it's gross and hasen't been cool since 1987.

I love the picture idea. I think it will really get the message across. Thanks for the weird chicken giving birth to the liquid egg thing. To bizarre.

Queen of Feisty

Susie said...

Those are really funny! It take insulting our intelligence to a new level:-)

Missy said...

Great post! Love the Wrinkle pic!

Hilary said...

I hate to think about what you'd include on my wine label. Would it depict drunken behaviour or liver damage? :) Great, clever post.

Kim said...

Deb, you are just the best. I can always count on a good laugh over here. Thank you! I needed one today.

Jane said...

Count me on board for this! However, that final image you posted for cheesecake & Doritos I also need for Starbuck's mocha's & caramel macchiato's

Lacie E. said...

i couldn't have read this post at a better time. I am throwing a bday party tonight and there is costco carrot cake involved lol

Stacy (the Random Cool Chick) said...

I love it! You always find the perfect pictures to go along with your perfect posts! :)

Thomma Lyn said...

Bwahahaha! This absolutely cracked me up. Yes, more truth in advertising would be an excellent thing! :-D

Fishbowl said...

you are so so funny, thanks as always for the laughs!! how about pictures on alcohol of those people who wet their pants, fall asleep on the bathroom floor, or naked....

Alicia said...

Oh my word!!!

colbymarshall said...

Love the idea of the images...we could really do some good things with that!

colbymarshall said...

Love the idea of the images...we could really do some good things with that!

rhubarbwhine said...

Oh my. Now I crave an apple.

The Things We Carried said...

Amen! I need to post those picts around my house and car :)!

Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting said...

You are made of awesome. LOL Love it!

Aleta said...

LMAO - I think you're right - do that type of advertisement for the fast food. And just about any food in the grocery store too, come to think of it. It might make "healthy foods" show up in the stores more then.

Jen said...

Love it. LOVE it. I like to go the public pool to be reminded of what eating too much does to you :)

MrsM said...

If they're going to put graphic pictures on smokes, the least they can do is put them on everything else! That way people will know when they're doing something bad. I also think that that they should tax every vice at the same level as cigarettes-you know, so that way we can penalize all those people who exercise their free will in a way the public at large disagrees with.

Jo said...

I love it! So true. I actually really like the picture of the old lady, she looks like a neat person!

Ms. Case said...

I agree with them all! I wonder what the world would look like if we advertised this way? Hmm...

scrappysue said...

that 3rd photo actually featured in our newspaper here - it's just sad :(