All Marketers...
Snap, Crackle, Lie
Have you ever been disappointed with a bowl of cereal? Every been bummed out that every flake wasn’t perfect, or that there were no perfect strawberries in the bowl?
They write “serving suggestion” on the picture on the box because they’re required to by law, but why primp it at all?
David Paull points us to Right Brain Left Field were a purported food stylist confesses the secrets of how they take the photos on the box. Here’s a juicy tidbit:
1. Dump several boxes of cereal out onto flat baking sheets.
2. Using tweezers so one doesn’t damage any pieces, root through finding the most perfectly shaped flakes (about 50-60)
3. Fill the prop bowl about 2/3 with Crisco, creating a dome at the top
4. Again using tweezers, embed the perfect flakes into the Crisco to create a pleasing arrangement and realistic volume of cereal
5. Fill in gaps and edges with Wild Root Hair Tonic to simulate milk.
I for one believe that the great pictures help tell the story of consumer satisfaction, a story that makes me like the cereal even more. And when the “real” cereal doesn’t precisely match, I don’t give it a second thought. Is that a lie? A fib?