ADVERTISING AWARENESS PART THREE

Part Three of a five part language-social studies unit for years 5-8+ exploring the world and language of advertising including purposes, methods, targets and our reactions to advertising.

Exploring Advertising Design

Click here for part four of - Advertising Awareness:

Looking at Magazine and Newspaper Advertisements

In groups have the students look carefully through a selection of both newspaper and magazine advertisement to find advertisements that they think are effective. Why do they think they are effective? Help students to focus on certain elements of the advertisements, eg discuss the following:

Is the message easy to understand?
Are the typefaces (fonts) easy to read or stand out from the others?
How is colour used? eg in a newspaper which is mostly black and white - a colour advertisement can stand out from the rest. Point out that an advertiser would have to pay considerably more for the colour. Do they think it would be worth it?

Look in glossy magazines for 'artistic' advertisements, eg pictures from nature, people, clever design graphics etc. How has the designer tried to grab readers attention?

• Making food advertisements look 'delicious' and make you want to eat them!!
• Look for very simple advertisements with lots of white space!
• Look for magzine or newspaper advertisements that look like articles. Why would people design advertisements like this?
• Have groups discuss and make a list of what they believe makes a good newspaper and magazine advertisement.

Extra For Experts

Older students should consider who would be likely to be reading particular magazines or sections of newspapers. What magazine or newspaper section would they choose to advertise a product or service to …

• their father or mother
• their classmates
• their grandparents
• Can they justify their choice?

Designing Magazine and Newspaper Advertisements

Using a topic such as food or travel, have each student design either/or a magazine and newspaper advertisement.

Present finished advertisements to the class and discuss …

• the best points of each advertisement, eg design, colour, simplicity etc.
• what advertisements do they think would be the most effective? Why?
• ways of improving each advertisement for the particular media chosen.
• Now have students design a second advertisement to promote their favourite sport or sporting event.

Designing Radio Advertisements

Spend some time listening to advertisements on different commercial stations, eg Classic Rock, MoreFM, Radio Pacific, Radio Sport etc.

Help the students become aware of and identify different categories or styles of advertisements, eg

• A pre recorded advertisement
• An advertisement read out by the disc jockey/announcer
• An advertisment where the announcer interviews/talks to the advertiser
• avertisements that are a mixture of music/(jingle) and talk
  

Challenge groups to write and record one food/health.sport advertisement for radio. Play these back to the class. Which advertisments worked? Why? Did they find it easier or harder to construct a radio advertisement than newspaper or magazines?

What do they think are the most important ideas to consider when making a radio advertisement? eg keeping it short.

Have students record and playback advertisements on radio (or the sound on TV) which have a musical theme or jingle. Why do they think advertisers use jingles? Does it make it easier for us to remember the message? Can they give any examples?

Have groups compose some musical jingles advertising happenings around the school or local community. Combine these with speech and turn into a radio advertisement.

Acting Out a TV Advertisement

Develop the idea that one of the most important purposes of advertising (from an advertisers point of view) is to convince the consumer that they reall need this prouct or service. Take products such as …

• snowboards
• CD Album
• Playstation
  clothing etc

In groups, students plan out a television advertisement for their chosen product. Suggest they first decide upon the one important message that they wish to get across to their 'target audience' (the class) and then sketch out a plan and write a script.

Through the process of several run-throughs, refine and develop the advertisement and then act out to the class. The class should evaluate the advertisement under the following headings…

• Is the advertsing message clear and easy to understand?
• Does it appeal to the target audience, eg people of their own age?
• Does it make you want to buy the product?
• Do you know how and where to buy the product?
• Can we make any suggestions as to how the advertisement can be improved?
• After further refinement, video the group advertisements and invite other classes to view and comment.

Extra For Experts

Have students video their own favourite TV adverts to play to the class. What appeals to them particularly about the advertisement? Who is the target audience for each advertisement? How has the advertiser tried to appeal to this group? Was music used, either as a jingle or to try and create a mood?

Click here for part four of - Advertising Awareness: