BOISE, ID—Displaying a single-minded focus on the benefits of eating a delicious and wholesome morning meal, a television commercial for Special K that appeared today reportedly failed to depict any of the many life problems its protagonist might face outside breakfast. “This commercial talks about breakfast like it’s the only thing that’s going on in this woman’s life, when for all we know she could be struggling with a wide range of deep seated problems that a cereal fortified with essential vitamins and nutrients would honestly not even begin to address,” said viewer Beth Cavanaugh of the 30-second advertisement, in which a mother remarks that “finding a healthy cereal [her] kids will actually eat is hard” while entirely omitting any mention of the professional, social, medical, or financial issues unrelated to breakfast that she is likely confronting. “Sure, it’s important to eat well in the morning, but it’s also important to earn a living, support your community, find the right work-life balance, feel validated, and maintain healthy relationships with the people you love, and this woman is likely just barely keeping her head above water on all of this stuff. And yet the commercial doesn’t address any of that—it just has this obsessive tunnel vision for breakfast.” Sources also noted that throughout the ad, the woman appears to pour milk onto the cereal for a good 12 to 15 seconds.

Advertisement