"Tall" Coffees and Assault WeaponsPresentation by:

David Cooper and Adam Haile-Mariam

Tricks of the Deception Trade

Christine's Story

Trick #4: Eye Candy• What just happened in

that ad?• How did she lose that

weight?• How many calories did

those 7 items under 9 grams of fat have?

• “By reducing my daily calories and replacing my usual fast food with Taco Bell’s® Drive-Thru- Diet®” – Christine

• 150 – 340 calories per item

Trick #1: Misnomers • “Taco Bell® Drive-Thru-

Diet”®• Diet Definition – 1. Food and drink considered

in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health

2. Such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight.

- Dictionary.com

- Quote from Taco Bell Website

“Drive-Thru-Diet® is not a weight-loss

program.”

Trick #2: Frame It and Claim It• Fresco– Fresh– Makes one think of

items that are healthy, light, or organic

Trick #3: Weasel Words• “Fewer calories”– not as great in amount

or degree– But not a specific

amount• “Some food choices…

are better than others”– Open ended comparison– Better than what?

Trick #5: The "Average" Bear• Average – The

mathematical mean• Average – The ‘typical’

person• Average number of times

Americans eat fast food per week – 3 times

Average/Typical People?

• “These results aren’t typical, but for me they’re great!” – Christine

Trick #6: The Baseline Bluff• Never specifies what

amount of calories or fat she got from her usual fast food before switching to Taco Bell

• Never know specific amount she then cut calorie intake from

How much was she eating before?

Trick #7: The Literally True Falsehood

• Lowered fat, increased sodium

• Fat not only component in losing weight, eating healthier

• “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limited saturated fat to 20 grams and sodium to 2,300 milligrams for a typical adult eating 2,000 calories daily.” – National Nutrition Guide

Calories Calories from Fat

Total Fat (g)

Sat. Fat (g)

Cholesterol(mg)

Sodium (mg)

Carbs(g)

Fresco Crunchy Taco 150 70 7 2.5 20 350 13Fresco Soft Taco - Beef 180 60 7 3 20 640 22Fresco Burrito Supreme® - Chicken

340 70 8 2.5 25 1410 50

Fresco Burrito Supreme® - Steak 330 80 8 3 15 1340 49

Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco 170 35 4 1.5 25 740 22

Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco 160 40 4.5 1.5 15 600 21

Fresco Bean Burrito 340 70 8 2.5 0 1290 56

Trick #8: The Implied Falsehood• Advertisement never

states that Taco Bell ® will make you lose weight

• Even if you reduce calories, you may never actually lose weight

She can lose it you can too?