Honey Nut Cheerios

Almost every Honey Nut Cheerios box has the red heart on it stating, "Can help lower Cholesterol*".  The words "can help" are weasel words that are being used to try to persuade people that if they eat Honey Nut Cheerios, it could help lower their cholesterol.  However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it does help the heart.  In the fine print on the bottom of the cerial box, it also says, "may reduce the risk of heart disease".  The weasel words of "may reduce" are again being used to try to persuade people that if they consume this cereal, it can lower their risk of getting heart disease.  Yet, there is no guarantee that Honey Nut Cheerios will actually lower cholestorol nor lower the risk of heart disease, but weasel words are used to trick customers into thinking that they will.

Honey Nut Cheerios's value assumptions are that health and naturality are what make the cereal so good.  Due to the idea that it can help make our hearts healthier, people should buy the cereal.  While consumers are enjoying Honey Nut Cheerios, they will also be improving their health, since the cereal can help with the healthiness of our hearts.  "Naturally flavored" is also written on the cereal, conveying the value assumption that since the cereal is not artificially flavored, consumers should purchase it.  It is connecting with our value of naturality and how we prefer things that are pure and real, rather than fake.  Honey Nut Cheerios uses their value assumptions of health and naturality to try to persuade shoppers to buy the healthy and naturally flavored cereal.

General Mills, the owner of Honey Nut Cheerios, is trying to paint the picture of happy people living longer due to them eating the cereal in shoppers' minds.  When people see the phrase of "can help lower cholesterol", they believe that since the cereal will help their heart's healthiness, it will therefore make them live longer.  Pathos is being used here because we humans want to live a long and healthy life style.  We care about living for a long time and being healthy, which is why General Mills is emphasizing the idea of Honey Nut Cheerios helping us to achieve these desires.  Along with this, General Mills omits the idea of how Honey Nut Cheerios doens't guarantee the prevention of heart disease, it only helps it.  Consumers are then attracted to the cereal because they only see themselves living a longer and healthier life.