The Rhetoric Used by Supplement Companies
This essay demonstrates an understanding of the necessity of paying attention to the way cultural context influences the understanding of a text. It does so by focusing on a topic that is growing in popularity in the contemporary world, and it notes how rhetoric plays a role in advertising a growing culture: fitness.
Throughout the years, there has been a push for men to adopt a certain physical aesthetic. A muscular, mesomorphic appearance is now viewed as the more desirable male physique. Not only has there been the push for men to look this way for visual appearances, but new research has provided numerous reasons as to why a healthy lifestyle is beneficial, such as prevention of chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer. Supplement companies have recognized this new social norm and have largely grown in number and popularity. They’re target audience mostly consists of young, athletic men, who are eager to get into better shape using any means necessary. These supplement companies have developed products that allegedly allow men to achieve the physique seen as sociably desirable, purely in an attempt to make money. In order to persuade their target audience to purchase their product, supplement companies have resorted to using several different rhetorical strategies such as logos, and ethos. In 2019, every social media platform consists of amateur athletes trying to promote a certain product to make money, which is another rhetorical strategy that supplement companies have started using. Like all other product-based companies, customers wouldn’t be inclined to purchase supplements if the companies manufacturing them didn’t use these various persuasive tactics.
Before the rhetoric used by supplement companies can be analyzed, it is necessary to point out why supplement companies have grown in number and popularity. This is because in the contemporary world, a desire amongst men has grown to achieve a more muscular physique. A collection of professors from several esteemed universities have written that “Young men often view the attainment of a muscular body as indicative of having reached the status of being a man (Calogero &Thompson, 2010). Indeed, one of the main reasons why muscularity is so important to young men may be because of its assumed link to masculinity. The male body ideal—a muscular, lean, fit, and mesomorphic body build—may be one of the most conspicuous symbols of the Western stereotype of traditional hegemonic masculinity, characterized by physical prowess, virility, and dominance” (Gattario, Kristina Holmqvist, et al., 337). This excerpt provides perfect insight as to why supplement companies have grown in popularity, because as the desire for men to become more muscular grows, so does the market for products that promise to help them achieve that desire. Brett McKay writes that “If you want to feel more like a man (and be treated like one), you should seek to build your body” (McKay), which asserts this paper’s claim that society pushes men to be more muscular. This excerpt from McKay’s article proves that society is part of what drives men to become more muscular, as the article provides men with reasons as to why they should become muscular.
The main reason why supplement companies have resorted to unique rhetorical strategies is because researchers claim that the products they offer don’t actually help with athletic performance or building muscle. One of the most popular supplements on the market is pre-workout, which is advertised as giving athletes extreme energy. Tia Ghose writes in one article that, “It turns out that these supplements may just change the way you feel while you’re working out. Many of the ingredients in pre-workout supplements are intended to give athletes the perception that their workout is supercharged, said Jordan Moon, an exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist at the United States Sports Academy and Concordia University Chicago, and chief science officer at the fitness tracking website Fittrace.com” (Ghose). Since the argument exists that supplements don’t actually help, supplement companies have had to use whatever methods possible to sell their products.
Researchers argue that many of the “miracle” products offered by supplement companies are useless, and the desired physique can be acquired from a change in diet and lifestyle. In response to this backlash, supplement companies such as BSN, Insane Labs, and Chaos & Pain have resorted to rhetorical methods like logos and ethos. Rhetoric can be defined as the art of using language, adapted to a particular audience, to persuade people to think and act a certain way. Since it is crucial for supplement companies to build trust between them and their customers, they attempt to establish a strong ethos in order to build this credibility. This can be seen in an advertisement from the company called Chaos & Pain, where they label themselves on having “The most powerful supplements in the world.” Another example of this is seen with the supplement company Insane Labz, as one of their products is literally called “I Am God.” This is done in attempt to appeal to younger audiences, possibly to make them think that consuming the product will give them god-like powers. These are just a few examples of the many, oftentimes false claims that supplement companies make in order to establish a strong ethos. These companies also use logos when advertising their products, as they will typically list out the ingredients within a certain product, then list out the benefits of many of the ingredients. For example, the supplement company BSN writes in one advertisement that “Now with 275mg of caffeine, N.O.-XPLODE® will give you the energy and focus needed to help maximize every minute of your workout.” This is actually an effective tactic, as many customers are unaware of the effects of some of the unknown ingredients, and it lets them know exactly what’s in the product they are purchasing.
It is debated that supplements don’t actually provide the benefits they advertise, and because of this, many people are skeptical to spend money on them. The companies who manufacture these products have recognized this skepticism, and they have resorted to a new method of rhetoric which isn’t seen very often. Because customers can’t rely solely on the testimonies of the supplement companies, who like any other product-based company, will say anything about their product in order to get people to buy it, these companies have started to rely on sponsoring people to establish a strong ethos. This way, customers can hear the opinions of sponsored athletes and listen to what they say about the products before they purchase them. Rather than recruit famous sports athletes for sponsorships, supplement companies have started sponsoring members of the fitness community who have gained a large following on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. For example, Michael Counihan is a popular member of the fitness community who is sponsored by the company 1st Phorm and has amassed over 180,000 followers on Instagram. In one of his posts, while referring to a product called “Full-Mega,” an omega-3 supplement, he writes “This is one of those foundational products I think EVERYONE should be taking advantage of..” He fully capitalizes the word “EVERYONE” to encourage all of his followers to purchase the product he is advertising. In exchange for advertising their products, 1st Phorm pays Michael, and all other sponsored athletes, a small amount for every product that is purchased with their individualized coupon code, which is an incredibly small amount compared to the amount that the company makes from its total sales. Overall, this is an extremely effective, revolutionary rhetorical strategy, as many skeptical customers rely on the testimonies of famous social media users because they believe that the product will make them look like and perform as well as these sponsored athletes.
While it is important for people, especially men looking to become more muscular, to do their research on supplements before purchasing them, they should realize that they are not all totally useless. Researchers argue that many types of products, like pre-workout, are useless and the benefits offered can be achieved by maintaining a healthy diet. Therefore, it is important that customers refrain from being lured in to making a poor purchase due to the strong rhetoric from supplement companies. However, some products are actually backed by extensive research, and can offer some very useful benefits. For example, whey protein is a popular supplement that is clinically proven to boost recovery time and help with muscle growth. Overall, customers who have little knowledge of supplements should be weary when browsing the internet for a product that will make them look like their fitness idol. They should do their research beforehand, and make sure that what they are purchasing is backed by research and has also been tested by other people.
Works Cited
Counihan, Michael. Instagram.com
Ed, et al. “CANNIBAL FEROX Stimulant Pre-Workout.” Chaos and Pain, 1 May 2019, www.chaosandpain.com.
Gattario, Kristina Holmqvist, et al. “How is Men’s Conformity to Masculine Norms Related to Their Body Image? Masculinity and Muscularity across Western Countries.” Psychology of Men & Masculinity, vol. 16, no. 3, 2015, pp. 337-347.
McKay, Brett, Kate. “Why Every Man Should Be Strong.” The Art of Manliness, 27 Dec. 2018, www.artofmanliness.com
“I Am God.” Insane Labz, www.insanelabz.com
Ghose, Tia. “The Truth about Pre-Workout Supplements.” LiveScience, Purch, 15 Dec. 2015, www.livescience.com/53095-do-preworkout-supplements-work.html.