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Advertising Strategies: Superbowl Commercials

Subject: Advertising Strategies

Grade: 2

Lesson Objective: Learn how big-budget Superbowl commercials are designed and are effective at persuading consumers to act on the messaging.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.3 – "Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue."

Materials:

Starter: 

Say: "Can you tell me about some of your favorite commercials or the last one you remember watching?" (Allow students to answer.)

Main:

Say: "Advertising is all around us, from posters at the bus stop and huge billboards on the side of the road to sports stadiums and, of course, on television."

"The purpose of an advertisement is to get you to spend money on the product or service a company is promoting. To do this, the company tries to convince you that you need what it offers by attracting your attention."

"A commercial is a type of advertisement that is good at attracting people's attention because it not only draws our eyes and ears. By using moving images and sound, commercials can attract our attention like movies and shows do."

"Some of your favorite movies and shows likely cost a lot of money to make. Similarly, some of the most expensive commercials are also the most memorable."

"While most movies and shows aren't trying to sell you a product, there is one other major difference to remember about commercials. Unlike movies/shows that you buy a ticket or subscription fee to watch, the companies are the ones paying to have you watch their commercial."

"Have you seen the commercials that play during the Superbowl? What are some things you notice that are different from normal commercials?" (Allow the students to answer.)

"You may have noticed that the commercials that play during the Superbowl look and sound like they belong in a movie theater. You might also have noticed that you rarely see the same commercial twice."

"The reason for this goes back to companies that pay to have their commercial played in front of you. The more people watching a broadcast, the more companies must pay the television networks to have their commercial played."

"The Superbowl has millions of people tuning in each year, so companies have the best chance of convincing many people to buy what their commercial is advertising. Because companies are paying a lot of money to have their commercial played even once, they put even more money into making sure their commercial stands out from the rest."

"You will read about how commercials get inside peoples' heads to convince them to spend their money. You will then watch a Superbowl commercial and answer questions about what you saw."

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Feedback:

Say: "Who would like to share your answers?" (Allow the students to share)

WORKSHEET

 Superbowl Commercials

Commercials share many strategies for attracting your attention as other types of advertisements. Some of these strategies include:

  • Target audience
  • Emotion
  • Logic

Target audience means the commercial is made to attract a specific type of person, someone who the company believes is likely to buy the product they are advertising. For example, a company advertising clothes for teenage girls will likely feature them in the commercial because it is relatable to the girls who are watching. 

Emotion means the commercial makes the audience feel something while watching it. By using visuals or music that causes people to feel happy or sad, commercials can make you want to keep watching the same way you'd want to keep watching a movie or show because of how it makes you feel.

Logic is how the commercial convinces you that what its advertising makes sense for you to buy. Some commercials use logic to show satisfied customers and professionals who used the product, show the product being used to solve a problem or show how the product is better than others like it. 

After watching the Superbowl commercial, answer the questions on the Student Handout to better understand the advertising strategies being used.

1. What company and product is the commercial advertising?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

2. Who is the target audience for the commercial?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3. What emotions did the commercial make you feel? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

4. Do you want the product the advertisement sells more or less after watching the commercial? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Written by Adam Parks
Education World Contributor
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