This set of bar charts measure the relative importance of two major appeals that were used to advertise comestible products at the time: health and taste/appetite, which either compete or complete each other. By "comestible products", we mean medicines, tobacco, alcholic drinks, food and soft drinks. The measurements were made from our usual five samples of the Shenbao (January 7, 1914; January 3, 1924; January 5, 1934; February 1, 1941; January 1, 1949). In each sample, we have recorded the occurrences of each appeal: health only (green), taste only (red), or a combination of the two appeals in the same advertisement (blue).
The figures show that the "health" appeal remains predominant during the entire period (average of 15 occurrences, reaching a peak in 1934 (24 occurrences, while the taste appeal occured only two times). After a period of stagnation (two occurrences per issue in 1914-1924), the taste appeal dramatically raised in 1941 (10 occurrences), but fall again to 5 occurrences in 1949. Starting from 1924, health and taste appeals began to be combined (1 case in 1924-1934, 3 in 1941).
The fifth following charts examine more closely to which products each appeal was specifically applied to. Obviously, health was constantly and systematically associated to medicines. Yet, it was also used to advertise alcohol in 1914 and nutritional products in 1924. As soon as 1924, alcoholic drinks were preferentially associated with taste, as it was the case for tobacco since 1914. Therefore, the "taste appeal" participated in the gradual association of alcohol and tobacco with pleasure.
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