Abstract:
The obesity epidemic is not solely a matter of biology or behavior—it is a high-stakes psychological battleground where food companies use neuromarketing to hijack the brain's reward system. In this provocative and interactive 90-minute workshop, Michelle Petties—an award-winning media professional who spent over four decades working in advertising, marketing, and broadcasting—pulls back the curtain on how branding, packaging, advertising, and sensory manipulation are used to create cravings, override willpower, and perpetuate food addiction.
Drawing on her unique lived experience as both a food addict who gained and lost over 700 pounds and an industry insider who once helped sell the very products that contributed to her addiction, Michelle offers a compelling perspective on how neuroscience is exploited to drive consumer behavior. Participants will explore how these tactics manifest in patient habits, how traditional weight loss interventions often fail to account for these psychological traps, and what healthcare providers and advocates can do to help their clients fight back.
Through case studies, group activities, ad analysis, guided reflection, and practical strategy-building, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how neuromarketing undermines obesity treatment—and a toolkit of countermeasures to empower their patients and communities. This workshop is ideal for clinicians, researchers, health educators, public health advocates, and anyone who wants to understand how the battle against obesity is being fought not just in the body—but in the brain and the marketplace.
