A couple of days back I saw an advertisement for Horlicks on TV. It seems that nowadays, these companies can go any length to sell their products. Of course, that's what business is all about but I believed there was a slim chance of setting a limit here. Sadly, I was mistaken.
Here's what the ad was about. When milk is boiled it loses some of its essential nutrients. So you add Horlicks to improve the nutritional quality of milk. I get it, when milk (or any food for that matter) is boiled/cooked, the nutritional value decreases. But to say that by adding Horlicks or any other malt you can make up for the lost goodness of milk, is taking it a bit too far. Another one of Horlicks ad shows the likes of Einstein, Akbar and other prominent people in history not being able to drink plain milk. They couldn't do it so how could you, right?
In today's world of junk and unhealthiness, we parents take sincere efforts and convince our kids to cultivate good eating habits. And then, after all that hard work, along comes a commercial saying that there is absolutely no need to! Come on! Even if there was a slim chance of getting our kids on track, these ads sure know how to topple that all up!
Of course, we adults understand that advertisements are all about exaggeration. But how our little ones react to their selfish act is none of their concerns, apparently. I have to repeatedly remind my son that advertisements are false, they are a lie to make money. I may seem a little out of context here but I'd rather do this than be left speechless when my confused son argues with me over drinking milk just because an advertisement told him so!
Whatever the case, there's no way an advertisement can get away messing up my children's healthy habits because I will make sure it doesn't. But then, there is a thin line between brainwashing and educating as far as the media is concerned. To identify that is where the true challenge lies.
God couldn't be everywhere and that's why he created mothers. (Neat escape, God!)
Here's what the ad was about. When milk is boiled it loses some of its essential nutrients. So you add Horlicks to improve the nutritional quality of milk. I get it, when milk (or any food for that matter) is boiled/cooked, the nutritional value decreases. But to say that by adding Horlicks or any other malt you can make up for the lost goodness of milk, is taking it a bit too far. Another one of Horlicks ad shows the likes of Einstein, Akbar and other prominent people in history not being able to drink plain milk. They couldn't do it so how could you, right?
In today's world of junk and unhealthiness, we parents take sincere efforts and convince our kids to cultivate good eating habits. And then, after all that hard work, along comes a commercial saying that there is absolutely no need to! Come on! Even if there was a slim chance of getting our kids on track, these ads sure know how to topple that all up!
Of course, we adults understand that advertisements are all about exaggeration. But how our little ones react to their selfish act is none of their concerns, apparently. I have to repeatedly remind my son that advertisements are false, they are a lie to make money. I may seem a little out of context here but I'd rather do this than be left speechless when my confused son argues with me over drinking milk just because an advertisement told him so!
Whatever the case, there's no way an advertisement can get away messing up my children's healthy habits because I will make sure it doesn't. But then, there is a thin line between brainwashing and educating as far as the media is concerned. To identify that is where the true challenge lies.
God couldn't be everywhere and that's why he created mothers. (Neat escape, God!)
