With the release of AI to the public, it becomes even more important to train our children to critically evaluate what they are being bombarded with on their devices and television programing. Others may not agree, but I believe the introduction of AI is resulting in consumers wondering, “Is this real or AI.” The most wrinkly aged skin can look as smooth as a baby’s bottom with one application of lotion. Trust me, it doesn’t work!

According to Tricia Anastos in her presentation, What a Smart Consumer Must Know, she points out the deliberate strategies advertisers use to capture our attention and drive customers to purchase their product over others. Colors, images, and being aware of current health trends all go into designing a cereal box that will capture children’s attention and mother’s approval. AI calls for us to add the new strategy of computer-generated results to the list.

She worked on updating Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes. At the time, sales were declining because research was proving that sugar was not good for children.

The first place they started was with the one thing that catch’s children’s eyes, a strong image. She pointed out how images create a brand awareness that lives long past the product is consumed. She showed pictures of strong brands like McDonalds, Apple, Mario Brothers, Pilsbury Doughboy, and Niki swoosh to emphasize the power of a memorable image. When she looked at the Tony the Tiger pictured on the earliest cereal boxes, by time she was assigned the task to update his image, he looked more like a grandfather than the new image created that had Tony looking muscular and athletic.

The word “Sugar” was removed since it suddenly had a negative impact on sales. Since vitamins became a new trend, they replaced the word sugar with 10 Vitamins and Minerals. The sparkle of sugar was replaced with a focus on cereal floating in healthy milk.  Ironically, the cereal composition did not change a bit. The sugar remained the same, but they focused on the vitamins already in the cerealey wanted Tony to look like a coach hanging out with other successful athletes and prominent figures. This suggested that the cereal would lead to success. To compete with the generic cereals that created products that looked, tasted similarly, and cost less they needed to set themselves apart. They partnered with toy companies to put toys inside; Television and movies stars appeared on the boxes to attract attention in the store. They also carefully positioned their boxes at children’s eye level. They realized parents didn’t want to say no to their children, so they captured the child’s attention with subliminal attention by deliberately building trust with children by positioning Tony’s eyes, so they appear to be looking at the children.

As times changed, cereal boxes changed but the product stayed the same. Studying health trends over the years helps student recognize that research is used to sell products. In one case, a cereal company asked a prestigious university to prove it was not sugar but fat that caused children to become fat, so the company pushed for non-fat options. Then it was proven that the data was manipulated and good fats were essential to good health. Salt became an issue, then it was proven that our body needs a certain amount of salt. Today, they would replace ‘corn’ with ‘Gluten Free.’

Generics became more sophisticated by including characters and one generic contracted with Mark McGuire to appear on their box promoting funding for pet rescue. It was the first time a famous athlete appeared on a generic box. Generics could be competitive because they kept their costs down with fewer colors and no freebies. As students studied generics, taste tested them, and read their labels, they realized they were paying more for a cereal’s fancy box than the cereal inside and became promoters of their parents purchasing only generic brands.

Studying the different strategies used by advertisers prepared students to critically analyze commercials and print ads and not be manipulated to purchase products. The following information helps students decide how to spend their valuable dollars:

Advertisers present a problem their product will solve. The more fear they can instill in consumers, the more they can solve a problem. The seller of a new med for a skin disorder will describe the painful and show the ugly results of this condition, then say, “I have the answer,” then show the clear skin. People are known to manifest illnesses simply by suggestion that they might have it. Then the solutions works because they never had the problem in the first place. Being aware is a big part of the solution.  

When promoting their product they will start with, “Do you …….(share a problem like lack of energy) and follow with “ solution) IE. will give you the energy you need to kick the ball and score more goals!”

They often say “Satisfaction or your money back.” It’s difficult getting one’s money back. It often costs more than the product to return it, so customers don’t return items.

They create sensory cues that stick with their audience for a long time. Years from now, if they were to recall your brand or your commercial, these sensory cues might perhaps be that much-needed nudge.  “Snap, Crackle, Pop,” “They’re Gr-r-reat,” “Silly Rabbit,” “Trix are for Kids” was promoting a cereal exclusively for children,   and “Mikey Likes It” which employs a bandwagon sales technique. “Whiter than White,” “Heart Healthy” with an image of a big red heart on the package, most recently Kellog’s began promoting their Shredded Mini Wheats as a dinner option.  

Some Strategies Employed:

• Emotional Appeal: Using humor, storytelling, or fantasy.
• Claims & Statistics: Highlighting product features and benefits. 9 out of 10 Doctors recommend..
• Promotions: Discounts, BOGO, free samples to drive sales. FREE Inside
• Personalization: Tailoring messages to individual users. If you are an athlete who wants to improve performance… If you are a person who thinks outside the box, you’ll see the value of this product!
• Bandwagon: Everyone else loves it, so will you.” “Mikey likes it!”

What to look for when determining if AI created an ad:

Visual Clues (Images & Videos)

• Body Anomalies: Extra/missing fingers, misshapen teeth, uneven eyes, bodies merging into backgrounds.
• Lighting & Texture: Flickering lights, unnatural shadows, overly smooth or “airbrushed” skin, unrealistic textures.
• Background & Objects: Unrealistic objects, strange patterns, items appearing/disappearing, nonsensical backgrounds.
• Movement & Emotion (Video): Jerky movements, stiffness, mismatched blinking, emotions not fitting the context, or speed inconsistencies. 

Audio & Video Clues (Videos)

• Lip-Sync Issues: Sound not matching mouth movements.
• Unnatural Background Sounds: Sounds that don’t belong in the scene. 

Content & Context Clues (Text & Video)

• Too Perfect/Unrealistic: Offers that sound too good to be true, overly perfect people or scenarios.
• Emotional Manipulation: Ads using fear or urgency to push quick decisions.
• Fake Endorsements: Well-known figures promoting unlikely products with slightly “off” voices/expressions. 

Verification & Tools

• Fact-Check: Look for the ad’s source; compare faces/details with official photos of public figures.
• Research: Verify claims and endorsements on official websites or trusted news sources.
• Use Tools (with caution): Some AI detection tools exist (like Google DeepMind’s SynthID, GPTZero for text), but they aren’t foolproof.
• Content Credentials: Look for digital watermarks (like C2PA) indicating content authenticity. 

Studying strategies and applying  them helps  students internalize the very strategies used to manipulate and capture their dollars.

If you are interested in the Cereal Box activity I did with my students from  1972-2020, simply say, “I want the Activity” in the comments and message me privately. I will email it to you and offer direct support through the whole process.