Convincing the public that hot dogs are healthy could put University of Arizona students on the map in the advertising world.
Weinerschnitzel, the country’s largest hot dog chain, is pushing back against health warnings to avoid regular consumption with a national contest that asks marketing students to “change public perceptions of the hot dog.”
The chain, which has 10 stores in Tucson, is on a mission to “save the future of the hot dog,” says a news release about the competition.
“An increasing number of Americans (are) convinced that hot dogs are simply too unhealthy to eat regularly,” it said.
It might be because the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization, has been warning since 2015 that frequent consumption of processed meats like hot dogs increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
The American Cancer Society’s dietary guidelines urge people to “minimize your intake of processed meats such as bacon, sausage, lunch meats and hot dogs” — the same advice UA students receive from counselors at the school’s campus health center.
A team of nearly 30 UA students has spent months developing a $20 million hot-dog marketing plan, including advertisements for print, radio, television and social media, as part of this year’s National Student Ad Competition put on by the American Advertising Federation.
Teams at dozens of other schools are doing the same, with winners to be determined by Weinerschnitzel and advertising professionals later this year.
UA students have competed for 30-plus years the annual contest, in which a major brand asks students to create ads to address a real-world marketing challenge. Past contest sponsors include Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, Nissan, Kellogg’s and The New York Times.
Tucson advertising firm owner Ed Ackerley, an adjunct UA marketing instructor, has advised the UA’s teams since 1984. Though they’ve yet to win the competition, simply participating is a résumé booster, and many team members go on to good careers after graduation, he said.
Ackerley acknowledged the difficulty of promoting a product with a negative health image, but said many consumers are hypocritical when it comes to hot dogs.
“People may say ‘I never eat hot dogs. They’re bad for you. They’re terrible.’ Then you go to an Arizona Diamondbacks game and they’re selling hot dogs by the thousands.”
This year’s UA entry, secret for now under contest rules, will “not necessarily say that hot dogs are the next alternative health food,” but will aim to cast them “in a more favorable light,” Ackerley said.
David Salafsky, director of health promotion and preventive services for UA Campus Health, said an occasional hot dog is fine as long as 80 percent of one’s diet consists of vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and unprocessed foods.
“We tell students it’s all about striking a balance,” he said. “ I think this is an area where a little bit of common sense goes a long way.”
