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Weight loss commercial is thin on credibility

Written by: Ross Fattori

Article Overview: Images should match the products you're trying to sell

Weight loss commercial is thin on credibility

With TV commercials, the visual elements that appear on the screen are just as important as the words that are spoken. When the images don’t match the product, it can lead to serious credibility issues.

There’s a weight loss commercial currently airing on TV that has a serious credibility problem. It’s a standard weight loss-type commercial that’s delivered in a dramatic fashion – until the very end.

As the commercial draws to a close, the weight loss doctor is seen striding down a corridor holding a clipboard, alongside his assistants.

Here’s the unbelievable part: the assistants look very officious, but they’re all overweight! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me until I watched the commercial a second time. No: I saw it correctly.

Overweight people appear in all types of ads and, as Jerry Seinfeld would say, “there’s nothing wrong with that.” But shouldn’t people who appear in weight loss ads be reasonably trim? They don’t have to be trim like Angelina Jolie or George Clooney, but they should be on the slimmer side.

The folks in this commercial aren’t the “before” folks whose bodies appear thinner and buffer in the “after” shots, after having used the service. No, these assistants are purportedly part of the weight-loss team that wants to help you to shed some pounds.

We’ve all seen commercials that sell nautilus equipment and exercise bikes. The people who appear in the ads are always ripped and buffed, and we all know we’ll never look like that. But the underlying message is that by purchasing this equipment you could look this fantastic.

Sex, beauty and glamour are huge selling features on TV ads. But it’s all part of the dream, a dream for which we are willing to suspend our disbelief in the hope that we can become transformed.

And if the dream is to be believed, and bought into, then the images on the screen must match the products you’re trying to sell.

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Article Tags: angelina jolie, clipboard, credibility issues, credibility problem, disbelief, dramatic fashion, dream a dream, exercise bikes, george clooney, glamour, images, jerry seinfeld, nautilus equipment, overweight people, second time, tv ads, tv commercials, visual elements, weight loss ads, weight loss doctor



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