-The Romans didn’t have breakfast – they didn’t even have dinner! They viewed eating more than once a day as gluttony and frowned upon it like we do when somebody doesn’t gobble up five meals a day
-In the middle ages, breakfast was reserved for the sick and elderly
-Before the 20th century, even America didn’t eat breakfast
Yeah.
Having done my writing for theprybar.com, I sat in disbelief similar to how you might be sitting right now.
The all-American breakfast of eggs and bacon, washed down with some orange juice wasn’t a thing until a gentleman named Edward Bernays did a campaign for the dwindling sales of the meat industry.
He was a good man, after all, no?
He made people realize the benefits of breakfast and made not just Americans, but the whole western world healthier, right?
RIGHT?
Well,
Yes and no.
People who are up working from 4 AM in the fields or the factories were probably in need of some refreshments at 9 or 10 AM because hard labor required energy.
But people who are working a 9-to-5?
Probably don’t need one.
Especially not one that sends your blood sugar higher than Voyager 2 and leaves you more tired at noon than a carpet-sewing child in Bangladesh after 18 hours of hard labor.
I’m talking about cereal and other “perfect breakfasts” that don’t have a place on our tables.
I know that it sounds bonkers to some people,
And it did to me at first as well.
Until I’ve done my research about the gentleman from earlier: Edward Bernays.
Aptly named “The Father of Propaganda”, he was responsible for numerous ad campaigns, such as the “all-American breakfast” and getting cigarettes for women as “Torches of Liberty” for feminism.
Putting these puzzle pieces together, a strange picture appears that whoever invented breakfast, might not have been in good spirits.
He alone wouldn’t have succeeded though.
He needed “credibility”, as we, copywriters, know all too well how important it is at convincing people.
What did he do?
He convinced doctors to do “research” on the health benefits of eating breakfast, and doctors told their patients to eat it religiously because that’s where true longevity and well-being lie.
Doctors and fake findings?
I’m sure I’ve seen that before SOMEWHERE.
But I digress.
He did the same by giving women cigarettes.
There’s a nice correlation between the early 20th century (where this man did his work) and numerous negative “conditions” such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental disorders, chronic inflammation in the gut, stomach ulcers, and the like.
Correlations are just correlations, though.
I’m not saying that breakfast alone was the reason for all these bad things.
There were numerous other factors that I won’t write down here because I might get exiled to the fringes of society for suggesting such heresy. I suggest you do your own research at your own pace.
However, all this shows the power of an expertly done advertising campaign.
You can change entire cultures if you do it right.
Only you decide whether you use your persuasive and copywriting abilities for a good cause or not.
I’ll leave you with that.
And of course, the link to my website at https://theprybar.com where you can download my free ebook for beginner copywriters.