Process

Step 1- Investigate Advertising Methods

The first thing your advertising group needs to figure out is what methods are used by professional advertisers when they are trying to market to various audiences.  Using the links below, research the following methods: bandwagon, anti-bandwagon, celebrity testimonial/star power, emotional appeal/heart strings, repetition, slogan, glittering generalities, plain folks, product comparison, and humor.  Once you have a good understanding of each method, record a definition on your advertising techniques graphic organizer.

Resources-Websites

Resources-Books

Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know- Shari Graydon
Big Fat Lies: Advertising Tricks- John Burstein

Step 2- Investigate Other Companies' Ads

Now that you know some of the methods used in advertising, you need to scope out advertisements to see how other advertisers use the methods in their ad campaigns.  Using your knowledge of techniques and your advertising techniques graphic organizer, look at the ads on the example page and determine what techniques the creators used.  Also, pay close attention to the format of the ad (print or television).  This Blog Post Organizer will help you keep track of what you will post in Step 3 about each example.

Step 3- Evaluate Other Companies' Ads

Once you've viewed the ads, go to the Advertising Blog to discuss the ads and post the following information:
  1. What technique(s) are being used in the ad? Explain how you know that was the technique being used.
  2. Do you think the ad is effective? Explain what makes the ad effective or ineffective.
  3. Why did the creators choose the format for their ad (print or television)?  Could the ad be as effective if it were a different format?

Step 4- Apply Your Knowledge

Now that you've gathered information, looked at examples, and evaluated others' advertising strategies it's time to apply your knowledge and create your own advertisement for Tween Topics magazine.  You will need to choose a format (television ad created in iMovie or print ad created on Glogster) and then determine the best advertising technique(s) to get other tweens to buy your magazine.