Clif Hanger

           Lately, I have been blogging about poor nutritional choices and the advertisements that are causing children to change their appetites and persuading mothers to start purchasing unhealthy foods. So I figured I would change things up a bit and provide my readers with a different side to advertising. This blog will be discussing a healthy and extremely appetizing snack for that I recommend and encourage for your children. In addition, it is even a snack that you may want to pursue yourself or recommend to a friend, regardless of age.

One of my favorite protein bars are Clif bars. I see the Clif company primarily targeting towards fit individuals because I feel like I always run into them being sold at the gym, next to the vitamin and supplements aisle at the grocery store, or being advertized in a health and fitness magazine. However, I do recognize a smart marketing strategy by Clif, which is targeting those who aspire to be fit and making these individuals feel like they are doing something right for their body by eating these protein bars. In addition, I also see these bars being a great alternative snack to fill your child’s belly a couple hours before meal-time, when your child is looking for something unhealthy to munch on.

            The first time I was introduced to Clif bars was at one of my tennis matches, when the mom who was in charge of snacks chose Clif bars for each of the players to eat. I was not an avid protein bar eater, so I was not familiar with all of the different brands offered. However, I loved the taste and the healthy vibe it gave me, so I have been eating them ever since. Currently, I continuously snack on Clif bars through the convenience of my university selling them in the Lucas business hall. I find these protein bars an effective way to get me through the day and keep me away from munching on chips or candy. Sometimes I like to think of Clif bars as my personal candy bar because they have flavors such as “cool mint chocolate” which resembles the chocolate bars and cookies and cream flavored ice cream.  

   Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the way Clif markets their product; this company is a great example of effective advertising and marketing. As an individual who aspires to enter into the professional field of advertising, I of course pay attention to the strategies that Clif uses in advertising their product. Analyzing one ad in particular, which I attached above for you to look at, there is a caption saying, “Not really the best time to worry about your energy.” The caption is followed by a picture of a mountain biker jumping in the air with his bike, causing dust and debris to fly in the air and create a smoky trail behind him. The scenery in this picture is natural and mountainous, as expected from the path that a mountain biker would most likely ride on. Looking at this picture, I immediately feel as if I will experience a high amount of energy and be inspired to do something daring and adventurous with my time. The ad makes me feel independent which is appropriate given the second caption that follows on this ad says, “Feed your independence.” This food product is providing a means to boost your energy and help you excel at whatever goal you may wish to accomplish, which I think is a positive encouragement for those aspiring to be healthy and active or even just looking for inspiration.  

This ad not only makes me feel like I am adventurous, but I also feel like I will have power when eating this bar. I do not oppose to these feelings because Clif bars will probably give me power and energy to excel. Glancing over the nutritional content, Clif bars may appear to have a large calorie count (200 calories on the average), but there is zero trans fat, twenty-three vitamins and minerals, and an average of fifteen grams of protein for each bar. Comparing this bar to a bag of Lays, which was introduced into discussion on my previous blog post, twenty chips contains almost twice the amount of fat. Lay Chips may not be even close to reaching the amount of calories in a single Clif bar, however there is little no nutritional content in a single chip and there is an encouragement of unhealthy eating once you bite into that first chip. Whereas the Clif bars fill you up and provide you with protein, nutrients, and motivation found through their advertising and packaging. After observing Clif’s nutritional information provided on their main website (www.clifbar.com), I learned that Clif also has a market for children- Clif Kid Z Bars.

These protein bars for children have a great slogan “nourishing kids in motion.” However, most kids will look at the image on the box, which is not exactly an ideal activity for children. Unlike the original Clif bars, the Z Bars for children are not promoting positive physical activity and interaction with nature when displaying a cartoon figure who is skateboarding on the outside on each of their individual bars and boxed packaging. Personally, I would not want my child to be encouraged by a food company to go outside and wheel around the busy streets on a skateboard. I do not consider skateboarding a way to be fit and active as there is very little cardio and physical body movement involved. In fact, it is an extremely dangerous activity and reminds me of the injuries and accidents that my brothers faced when they where younger and went through their skateboarding phase.

Although I am happy to announce that Clif bars has a protein bar line for young individuals, I must confess I was not pleased to discover the advertising strategy of Clif Z bars. This line of Clif’s protein bars is a great change to gain a new market and promote exercise and good health for young individuals, but the company is not taking full advantage of this opportunity. An alternative that I would suggest is displaying a child who is bike riding outdoors, swimming, or just in a natural setting and running around with fresh air and a smile.

I have always aspired to join an advertising firm in my professional years; therefore, I pledge to myself that I will that I will work for a company that benefits the welfare and health of society. I might see myself working in advertising for whole foods or maybe a natural cosmetic company if I do not decide to stick with the food route. As far as the rest of society is concerned, it will take time and more education, however, my hope is that companies will recognize the damage they are doing in relation to children’s health and view of what is considered healthy. But I also hope that parents do not let their minimally educated child partake in advertising’s various persuasions. So to conclude my posts, I leave you with a final “Clif” hanger: will you choose to let your children’s diets and perception of health be negatively influenced by media and advertisements?

Works Cited

Calorie Count. Lays, n.d. Web. 21 May 2014.

Clif Bar: From our Kitchen. Clif Bar & Co, 2014. Web. 21 May 2014.

Taking an Iconic Power Bar into the Social Branding Sphere. Ed. Guy A. Parker. N.p.,

11 July 2013. Web. 21 May 2014.