Media Awareness II: Key Concepts in Advertising
What are the elements of an effective or ineffective advertisement?
In this 6-8 lesson, students will continue the exploration of advertising and media awareness. Students will examine the purpose, target audience, and value of advertisements. Students will then create original, hand-drawn advertisements. This is the second lesson designed to accompany the media awareness unit.
Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Develop an understanding of basic concepts in advertising.
Infer the purpose and “target audience” of an advertisement.
Analyze advertisements from commercials, cereal, magazines, and websites.
Discuss the purpose, target audience, and style of advertisements with key vocabulary.
Apply selected elements and principles of art to create an advertisement of their own.
Standards Alignment
Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design.
Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.
Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of artmaking or designing
Reflect on whether personal artwork conveys the intended meaning and revise accordingly
Reflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format.
Apply relevant criteria to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for a work of art or design in progress.
Analyze ways that visual components and cultural associations suggested by images influence ideas, emotions, and actions.
Analyze multiple ways that images influence specific audiences.
Compare and contrast contexts and media in which viewers encounter images that influence ideas, emotions, and actions.
Interpret art by distinguishing between relevant and non-relevant contextual information and analyzing subject matter, characteristics of form and structure, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.
Interpret art by analyzing artmaking approaches, the characteristics of form and structure, relevant contextual information, subject matter, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.
Interpret art by analyzing how the interaction of subject matter, characteristics of form and structure, use of media, artmaking approaches, and relevant contextual information contributes to understanding messages or ideas and mood conveyed.
Identify, describe, and analyze how message and meaning are created by components in media artworks.
Describe, compare, and analyze the qualities of and relationships between the components in media artworks.
Compare, contrast, and analyze the qualities of and relationships between the components and style in media artworks.
Analyze the intent of a variety of media artworks, using given criteria.
Analyze the intent and meaning of a variety of media artworks, using self developed criteria.
Analyze the intent and meanings of a variety of media artworks, focusing on intentions, forms, and various contexts.
Research and show how media artworks and ideas relate to personal life, and social, community, and cultural situations, such as personal identity, history, and entertainment.
Research and demonstrate how media artworks and ideas relate to various situations, purposes and values, such as community, vocations, and social media.
Demonstrate and explain how media artworks and ideas relate to various contexts, purposes, and values, such as democracy, environment, and connecting people and places.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.
Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
Recommended Student Materials
Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.
Provide preferential seating and captions for visual presentations. Give students the option to create an audio advertisement as opposed to a visual one.
Engage
Begin this lesson by continuing the conversation from the previous lesson on the purpose, target audience, and the value of advertisements.Ask the following questions: How did the advertisements for different categories of kid-oriented products differ from one another? What audiences were targeted for each category of toys? For television ads, were there differences in the types of programs during which the advertisements appeared?
Build
Refer to the handout for background information. Review the two key terms and provide one or two examples of how a student would determine the target audience and purpose for a particular product.
Review the handout. Discuss how size, color, and realism can add depth to ads. Be sure to discuss how each of these elements can determine whether the advertisement will be successful.
Remind students to bring an advertisement from home or allow time for students to locate one on the web.
Apply
Have students take out the advertisements that they brought in from home or located on the web.
Engage students in a peer discussion about why each advertisement they have brought to class is or is not effective. Elements of art and media should be discussed, such as audience, target audience, size, color, and realism should.
Extend the discussion by asking the following:How do the advertisements for different categories of kid-oriented products differ from one another? What audiences were targeted for certain categories of toys? For television ads, were there differences in the types of programs during which the advertisements appeared? Does this affect sales?
Have students survey several advertisements from different media outlets using the resource. Students will survey products through television commercials, websites, and specific products (such as cereal).
Reflect
Engage students in a discussion about their findings from the . Have students share out an example ad and the target audience/purpose.
Ask students to respond to the following questions: What do you think constitutes an effective or ineffective advertisement? How do elements and principles of art apply to advertising? Ask students to refer to the handout, , to support their responses.
Return to students the drawings that they began in the previous lesson. Remind them that they will transform these drawings into advertisements. Students should now focus on adding details to their drawings, such as color, text, and symbols (such as price).
Extend
Have students create a media awareness graphic or animation like the ones shown from the . Have them use tools like , , , or an animation tool like , , (iOS devices).
Have students create a “spoof ad.” Students may need an introduction to the concepts of irony and sarcasm, which are implicit elements of such advertisements. Some recent examples of such television ads include the Geico Insurance and the Old Navy store commercials. Encourage students to illustrate, create a graphic, or animation to express their “spoof ad.”
How did you use this lesson? Give us your feedback!
In this 6-8 lesson, students will examine the influence of advertising from past and present-day products. Students apply design principles to illustrate a product with background and foreground. This is the first lesson designed to accompany the media awareness unit.
In this 6-8 lesson, students will develop and market a new children鈥檚 product. They will apply advertising design strategies to market their product. This is the third lesson designed to accompany the media awareness unit.聽
Audio, video, animation, photography, and technology. From Depression-era images that captured the attention of a nation, to student-produced videos on local artists, to how to make your own blood and guts special effects, explore the ever-changing world of media arts.
Media Arts
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning
Eric Friedman Director, Digital Learning
Kenny Neal Manager, Digital Education Resources
Tiffany A. Bryant Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement
JoDee Scissors Content Specialist, Digital Learning
Connect with us!
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.