Advertising All Around Us

Advertising All Around Us

Level: Intermediate

Lesson Length: 40 minutes

Objectives

To enable students to:

• analyze the format and structure of advertisements as well as the impact of advertising on their daily lives.

• differentiate between information and selling

• recognize the codes and conventions of different categories of advertisements

• distinguish between fantasy and reality

• become aware of their own reactions as consumers

• learn about target audiences

Materials

• collect magazines, comics, newspapers, brochures, bulletins, and posters from a variety of sources (including other countries), multimedia presentations on “Pros and cons of ads”

• scissors, backing paper, glue, pencils and writing paper

Procedure

PRESENTATION

What do the students know and feel about Advertising? DISCUSSION OF JOKES:

Advertising sure brings quick results--last week I advertised for a night watchman--the same night my safe was robbed.

This morning my wife put on eye shadow, eyeliner and eyelashes. I said, "What are you doing to your eyes?" She said, "I'm making them look natural."

"Now with improved taste" this appears in many products including dog food. The question is, "Who tastes this dog food?"

You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements. Norman Douglas

Modern usage of above: We now live in an age where everyone reads the newspaper and the only thing they believe are the ads.

Have students write responses to the following questions: 

• What is advertising?

• Why do we advertise?

• Is advertising really necessary? (pupil’s presentations)

Differentiate between a print ad and a photograph accompanying a magazine article

Present class with a variety of magazine images. Include advertisements in which the words have been covered and photographs from magazine articles. Discuss the images, using the following questions as guidelines:

• Is this image an ad (i.e., selling something) or a photograph?

• Why do you think so?

• What appeals or does not appeal to you in these images?

• Are there differences between ads and non-ads? What are they?

Compare an advertisement that features a product to a lifestyle or image-based ad that doesn't feature a picture of the product. 

• What is the difference between these two ads?

• What are the similarities?

• Why would an advertiser create an ad for a product that doesn't feature the product itself?

• What message is the advertiser trying to accomplish?

• Which types of ads do you think would be more effective in reaching consumers? Why?

Analyzing the aesthetics of advertisements

Analyze several ads, using the following questions as guidelines: 

• Is it a drawing or a photograph?

• Is it live action or cartoon?

• What headlines, logos or slogans attract attention?

Note the number of words used to present an idea. Analyze the use of colour, position, layout, words (descriptors) and any other elements that make ads more appealing. How does the language help to establish an image?

Identifying the hidden persuaders in advertising

(Whole class working in small groups)

• Distribute several ads from a variety of sources to each group. Discuss the advertising techniques used.

How do these techniques make you feel about the product? Do they make you want to have it? (One way they do this is to imply that the product gives children 'power'.)

• Why is it good for the manufacturers if their advertisements make you want to buy their product?

Bandwagon: Join the crowd. Everyone is buying it/using it/doing it.

Testimonial: A famous person or authority claims the product is good.

Image Advertising: A product is associated with certain people, places, activities. The implied message is one of attractiveness, wealth, enjoyment, etc.

Brand Characters

One method used by food companies to attract kids is to create characters that are associated with their product or brand. On the blackboard, have the children come up with a list of their favorite "food" characters, such as Tony The Tiger, The Honey Comb Kid, The Nestle Quick Bunny. 

• Why might companies create "spokescharacters" like Captain Crunch or Toucan Sam? (They give  products a  friendly face that kids can relate to; they make a product appear fun and exciting.)

• Have your students ever wanted to try a product because they like its "spokescharacter?"

Using the list on the board, ask students to identify what they like best about each of these characters. Have them vote on which is their favorite.

• Have students think of their favorite food and ask them create and name their own food character. Let them draw or paint a picture of their new character with their favorite food.

Weasel: A promise is implied by using words like "usually" or "chances are."

Omission: Facts about the product are not told.

Repetition: Saying it again and again.

Jingles

Explain that manufacturers create jingles, or catchy sayings, to encourage customers to think of their products. See how many students can complete the following food jingles and identify the food product that is connected to:

"Betcha can't eat just one....." (Frito Lay)
"It's a honey of an O, its....." (Honey-nut Cheerios)
"Good, good, whole wheat...." (Shreddies)
"You can't drink it slow, if it's...." (Quick)
"Leggo my...." (Eggo)
"I gotta have my...." (Corn Pops)
"Silly Rabbit,..........Are for kids!" (Trix)
"When you've got the munchies, nothing else will do...." (Hostess Potato Chips)

Ask students what makes these jingles so effective. (Answers may include: short, catchy phrases and simple music that make them easy to remember; continual repetition of the jingle in television and radio ads.) 

Tell students to record other popular food jingles (or jingles for other products) in their media journals or, have them create a food jingle of their own.

• As an extension activity, have children record their original jingles for their favorite foods and play them to the class.

Scale: Making a product bigger or smaller.

Association: Promising adventure, attractiveness, quality.

Name-calling: Making the product seem better by using unpopular terms about the competition.

(For additional techniques, students might like to read the handouts Common Advertising Strategies and Food Advertising Strategies.) 

• Collect ads that use these techniques. Make a display of these ads and tell which technique is used in each example. Discuss your reactions to each ad.

Extended activity

Choose an ad and rewrite it, using one of these techniques.

Designing our own ads

(Whole class discussion followed by independent activity.)

Students design ads to attract visitors to the school, taking into consideration: 

• Construction of reality – what is your message?

• Representation:

- what medium will you use?

- what colours, shapes, techniques will you use to create an image?

- what will attract the interest of the audience?

• Audience – whom are you trying to attract?

Extra Activity

Brand Characters

One method used by food companies to attract kids is to create characters that are associated with their product or brand. On the blackboard, have the children come up with a list of their favorite "food" characters, such as Tony The Tiger, The Honey Comb Kid, The Nestle Quick Bunny. 

• Why might companies create "spokescharacters" like Captain Crunch or Toucan Sam? (They give  products a  friendly face that kids can relate to; they make a product appear fun and exciting.)

• Have your students ever wanted to try a product because they like its "spokescharacter?"

Using the list on the board, ask students to identify what they like best about each of these characters. Have them vote on which is their favorite.

• Have students think of their favorite food and ask them create and name their own food character. Let them draw or paint a picture of their new character with their favorite food.

Tell students to record other popular food jingles (or jingles for other products) in their media journals or, have them create a food jingle of their own.

• As an extension activity, have children record their original jingles for their favorite foods and play them to the class.

Homework Select ads for five products. Change the names to make humorous new products.