42eXplore 4 Teens

AdCritic.com
http://www.adcritic.com/
Here is where you will find practically any ad you have seen on TV. You can vote on it, comment on it, discuss the underlying innuendoes, and hopefully even get your comments read by some of the leading advertising agencies in the world.
Related Websites:
2) Adbusters http://www.adbusters.org/home/
3) Adland http://commercial-archive.com/
 
Ad*Access (Newspaper and magazine ads)
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/
Concentrating on five main subject areas (Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II), this site presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
Related Websites:
2) Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/
3) John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History from Duke University Libraries
http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/hartman/
4) Advertising Timeline from the American Advertising Museum http://admuseum.org/museum/timeline/timeline.htm
 
Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart from PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/
Learn about advertising techniques and buying smart. The site includes tips for avoiding subtle sales on the Internet.
Related PBS Website:
2) Merchants of Cool, The from PBS Frontline http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/ 
 
Practical Guide to Advertising (PDF) from the UK Advertising Association in association with Departemnt of Trade & Industry 
http://www.adassoc.org.uk/A_practical_guide_to_advertising.pdf
It is important to appreciate that advertising does not simply mean television, radio or newspapers. This paper explains wide range of techniques available in advertising.
Related Website:
2) Advertising and Promotions http://www.managementhelp.org/ad_prmot/ad_prmot.htm
3) Mini-Course on Advertising http://www.bspage.com/advert.html

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Activities 2 eXplore

After visiting several of the advertising websites, complete one or more of the following activities:
 
Analyze Advertising. Look at the advertising used in television, magazine or newspapers. Visit (1) Language of Advertising Claims by J. Schrank, (2) Creative Advertising Ideas and Techniques, (3) Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals by J. Fowles, and (4) Advertising (Persuasion analysis) to help identify some of the tactics used in advertising. Make a list of ads that you find in the mass media, identify the products promoted, and describe the technique(s) each use.
 
See how savvy you are on the techniques used to the gimmicks and techniques of advertising. Complete the Advertising Challenge from Media Smart Kids. 
 
Complete an Advertising WebQuest. Adapt or follow the procedures found at the following webQuest sites: 
1) Advertising Webquest by L Harrison & adapted by C. Goolsby http://teachers.usd497.org/cgoolsby/advertising1.htm
2) And Now a Word from Our Sponsor (Grade 8) by C. Matzat
http://www.thematzats.com/propaganda/
3) Cyberganda Advertising (Grades 7-8) by B. Clark http://www.campbell.k12.ky.us/links/webquest/clark/quest.htm
4) Persuasion Quest
http://www.aacps.org/aacps/boe/...

Evaluate Television Ads. For one week in your television viewing time, keep a log of the ads that you watch. Figure out how may minutes per hour are used for advertising. Identify your five favorite commercials and the five that you dislike the most. Identify why you like or dislike each of them. Compare your findings with friends and classmates.
 
Create a Television Ad. This is for a 30 second commercial slot. First identify a product for your ad. This may be the toughest task! It can be a real or imaginary product. Next create a slogan. An example might be 'SuperJuice.' Your slogan could be 'SuperJuice, Super Energy.' Now you're ready to write the script -- remember to keep it short. Perform the ad, enlist friends and volunteers to assist you. You may want to record your commercial with a video camera.
 
Debate Issues Related to Advertising and Marketing to Children. (Grades 9-12) Precedent has already been made with regard to advertising and marketing of tobacco products to children (Tobacco Explained). Now public attention has begin to focus on the entertainment industries. Politicians are making their views known. Consider the first amendment rights as they apply to producers and to you as a consumer. It may be useful to separate the production of an entertainment product from its advertisement and marketing campaign, and then decide what you favor. You can limit your discussions to the issue of violent media. Some useful links include: 
1) ABCs at the FTC: Marketing and Advertising to Children http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/starek/minnfin.shtm
2) Government Regulation and Industry Self-Regulation
http://www.nsbf.org/safe-smart/regulation.htm
3) Marketing of Violent Entertainment to Children (Letter from Ralph Nadar to FTC)http://www.peace.ca/violententertainment.htm
3) Marketing to Kids Online Isn't Childs Play
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3626209
4) Psychologists Challenge Ethics Of Marketing To Children http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/kidsell.shtml
5) Violent Media is Good for Kids http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2000/06/violent_media.html

An alternative topic for debate and research is 'should advertising be allowed in schools?'

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Websites by Kids for Kids

Advertising: Be Careful What You Buy! http://library.thinkquest.org/5704/ (1999 ThinkQuest USA)
This website presents different kinds of ads and explains different techniques used to hook people into buying a product.

Effective Advertising http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/02403/ (2007 ThinkQuest International) 
Learn about the world of advertising, how an advertisement is made, what consumers and experts think about advertisements and advertising and what makes a good advertisement.

Subliminal Messages (1999 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge)
http://library.thinkquest.org/28162/
By definition, the word subliminal means "below the threshold of consciousness." A subliminal message is not intense enough to produce a sensation but has sufficient intensity to influence the behavior and mental processes of one's mind. There are many ways in which a suggestion can be delivered to the audience.

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More 2 eXplore

AdCracker by S.L. McNamara
http://www.adcracker.com/
The open-public portions of this site provide insights into the business of creating marketing and advertising concepts or campaigns. 
 
AdForum
http://www.adforum.com/
This website is designed to aid and promote the area of research and information relating to the advertising and/or communication business.
 
Advertising Age
http://adage.com/
This online site is a source of marketing, advertising and media news, information and analysis.
Not-to-be-Missed section:
2) Advertising Century http://adage.com/century/
 
Advertising Self-Regulation from the Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/advertising.asp
Advertising self-regulation has been part of the mission of the Better Business Bureau system since its founding in 1912. At that time, the rise of fraudulent and misleading advertising and the absence of any effective regulation led to the formation of BBBs for the purpose of promoting truth in advertising.
Related Websites:
2) Beauty...and the Beast of Advertising by J. Kilbourne http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article40.html
3) What's the Problem? Facts About Girls, Women + Media 
http://www.mediaandwomen.org/problem.html
4) Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) from Council of Better Business Bureau, Inc.
http://www.caru.org/
5) Fact Sheet: Children and Advertising from MediaWise http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_childadv.shtml
 
American Advertising Federation (AAF)
http://www.aaf.org/
This is the website of a trade association that represents 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. 
 
Democracy Project
http://www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/
Here you learn about the history of the political commercial, follow the development of a 'spot' commercial, learn some of the tricks of the trade, and more.
 
Online Advertising from Web Source
http://www.web-source.net/internet_advertising.htm
A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of entrepreneural success. The secret to a successful ad is a headline. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits.
Related Website:
2) Internet Marketing Techniques from ECnow http://ecnow.com/Internet_Marketing.htm
   
Language of Advertising
http://www.linguarama.com/ps/293-6.htm
This business article examines the choice of language to convey specific messages with the intention of influencing people.
Related Website:
2) Language of Advertising Claims by J. Schrank
http://sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html
3) Texas Advertising (Online dictionary) from The University of Texas at Austin
http://advertising.utexas.edu/research/terms/ 
 
Propaganda Techniques by D. Donn
http://members.aol.com/MrDonnUnits/Propaganda.html
The techniques of propaganda are used every day, in the military, in the media, in advertising, in politics, and in all sorts of human relationships. It's not as easy as you might think to spot hidden messages.
Related Websites:
Propaganda Critic http://www.propagandacritic.com/
 
Thoughts about the Future of Advertising (Dec. 1995) from University of Texas at Austin
http://advertising.utexas.edu/research/papers/WhiteShort.html
The question is not will advertising continue to be an important tool of business communication (the answer to that question is yes!) but simply, what forms will advertising take in the future?

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Websites For Teachers

Advertising Awareness (Grades 5-8) from Teaching Online
http://www.teachingonline.org/ADVERTISING.html
Part One of a five part language-social studies unit exploring the world and language of advertising including purposes, methods, targets and our reactions to advertising.
Related Lesson from Teaching Online:
2) Logo Design http://www.teachingonline.org/Logodesign.html

Ad Dissection 101 by R. Anderson http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/ad101/
This unit is designed to teach students how to interpret the messages commercials send, so they can make informed choices based on well reasoned decisions. As a culminating activity, students create their own parody ads or public service announcements.
Related Lesson Plan:
2) Ad Smart http://www.curriculum.org:80/csc/library/profiles/10/html/ELDBOP1.htm
 
Advertising Techniques and Target Audiences Used in Commercials (Grades 9-12) by G. Wells
http://www.idahoptv.org/ntti/nttilessons/lessons2001/wells.html
Understand the power of advertising by researching advertising techniques, target audiences and a variety of ads. The class will look at commercials during their favorite television programs and keep a TV log. The purpose is to see what types of products are advertised and who the target audiences are. Students will identify what advertising techniques are used.

Deceptive Advertising: Crossing the Line by P. Bonner (Grades 9 - 11) http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM663&page=teacher
Students examine the ground rules for advertisements of goods and services, why we need rules, who sets them, and who enforces them.

Did You Get the Message? by P. Bonner (Grades 5-8) http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM634&page=teacher
Businesses use advertising to try to convince consumers to buy what they are selling. Advertisements do this by pointing out how consumers will benefit if they buy a product. These benefits are called incentives. In this lesson, these basic functions of advertising are introduced. Various techniques used to achieve these objectives are also explained.

Identifying and Understanding the Fallacies Used in Advertising by D. Howerton (Grade 9-12)
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=785
Students deconstruct fallacious images and messages in advertisements and demonstrate their understanding of the fallacies through multimedia presentations.

Kids & Commercialism from The Center for a New American Dream http://www.newdream.org/kids/index.php
Organiztion whose efforts are to shift American culture away from an emphasis on unconscious consumption towards a more fulfilling, just, and sustainable way of life
  
Magazine Ads and You, the Teenager by R.K. Duffy
HTTP://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang57.txt
This activity is to increase student awareness of persuasion tactics as seen in magazine advertising.
Related Lesson Plan:
2) Junk Mail Explosion: Why You Buy and How Ads Persuade by M. Nichols (Grades 7-10)
HTTP://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang/lang56.txt
 
Promoting Yourself Through Advertising (Grades 10-12) from Kodak Lesson Plans
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/education/lessonPlans/lessonPlan015.shtml
This unit outlines a process for students developing a 'product' that can be used to promote themselves.
 
Selling of Our Schools, The: Advertising in the Classroom
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin083.shtml
This article summarizes the growth of advertising in the schools, then proposes a media literacy effort.
Related Webpages:
2) Advertising in the Schools by A. Aidman at ERIC Digests http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-3/advertising.htm
3) Advertising in Schools from PBS's Affluenza
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/treat/tguide/tguide4.html