(NAPSA)—You've read about it in The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, and it’s been the topic of conversation on the “Today Show,” the Internet and office water coolers—the trend toward using “real” women in advertising. Is this trend the death of the supermodel? Big-name advertisers like Dove, Nike and Chicken of the Sea have adopted the idea. “Americansare tired of looking only at supermodels with unrealistic figures, and recent advertising campaigns using ‘real-looking’ womenreflect this feeling,” said David Anderson, managing partner of Off Madison Ave., a marketing communications agency that was not involved with the previously mentioned campaigns. “As an advertiser, you want to connect with your audience, whichis difficult to do if people can’t relate to the imagesin the ads.” The trend toward real women in advertising may stem from the fact that American women don’t fit the mold of the typical 5’11” tall, 117-pound supermodel. In fact, the average American woman is 5'4” tall and weighs 140 pounds, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. In Chicken of the Sea’s new television commercial, a slender woman is seen walking through an office as she is being admired by her male counterparts. The woman then enters an elevator where she exhales, revealing in a comedic scene that she had been holding in her stomach. The result? A less than perfect, more realistic body. “Many people can relate to the woman in the commercial,” said John Signorino, Chicken of the Sea president, who said the commercial combines humor with growing concerns about weight management. “More than 60 percent of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, making the weight of many Americans something that can’t be ignored.” “We've even seen the international market addressing health and weight concerns in a more upfront way, and the trend is now spilling over to the United States,” said Anderson. Chicken of the Sea’s current commercial was inspired by one produced by its parent company, Thai Union Frozen Products PCL. That commercial has already seen huge success abroad and on the Web, where it has been widely circulated via e-mail. Although the commercial is intended to be humorous, its real message is about health, and the commercial was designed to reinforce that tuna is a natural source of omega-3, and a low-fat and preservative-free option. Health professionals have long touted the benefits of seafood, much of which is low fat, low calorie and high protein. To view the commercial that is shaking up the industry, visit www.chickenofthesea.com. While there, visit the Healthy Living Resources page, which connects site visitors with credible tools to teach proper eating habits and help people live healthy and activelives.
