Give one activity sheet to each student group:

Group One Some ads are popular because they go against the norm. Some of these ads make fun of overused clichés or show that they know we are too smart to just accept advertising without questioning it. Here are a few examples: - Special K ads that play on society's unrealistic expectations of how women should look by applying the same standards to men. (One ad features a short, chubby man and a tall slender woman, with the caption "Ironically, she's the one worried about her weight.") - a McCain Pizza Pocket ad that has teenage boys talking about how stupid pizza pocket ads are. - an ad about a retirement plan with a guy on a yacht saying "This isn't my boat, and that's not my wife or my dog - we are all actors." - Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" ads that show a marketing company trying to create hype about a slug. Answer these questions: 1. Can you think of more examples? (Look through the magazines that have been brought to class for similar ads.) 2. Do any of these ads make you feel good, like the advertiser is relating to you? If so, what is it about these ads that you like? 3. Do these ads make you want to buy the products? Why or why not?

Group Two Here are some subtle forms of advertising: - Product placement in movies and on TV shows - Corporate sponsorships: i.e., "Lillith fair" brought to you by Biore skin care products, and everyone gets a sample as they walk through the gates. - Linking celebrities to fashion: - Tommy Hilfiger giving his clothes to hip-hop stars to wear on stage, or designers donating clothes to stars to wear on TV (especially for awards shows) so millions of people will see their work - Sportswear companies giving clothes to famous athletes so they will be associated with athletic greatness Brainstorm as a group to add to the list, or think of more examples of these types of advertising. (Look through the magazines that have been brought to class for similar ads.) 1. Which of these is the most or the least effective form of advertising? 2. Which one costs least?

Group Three Ads that try to teach us about responsible behaviour or try to get us to think about issues are called advocacy ads. Some advocacy ads are meant to benefit everyone. Asking for blood donations, messages against drinking and driving are examples of these. Can you think of other examples? Some corporations use advocacy ads and affirmative messages to try to influence how you perceive them or their products: - A paper company doing ads about environmental conservation - Nike ads that focus on self-esteem - Cigarette companies that create 'don't smoke' campaigns for kids Can you think of more examples of these kinds of advertisements? (Look through the magazines that have been brought to class for similar ads.) Answer the following questions: 1. How does advertising that makes us think about issues help sell products? 2. Is it always obvious when an advocacy ad is benefiting a corporation? 3. Are the companies that create these ads truly trying to help make the world a better place? (Compare companies that you feel are doing this successfully to companies that use affirmative advertising to influence consumers.) 4. What do you consider to be the traits of a responsible advocacy advertising campaign?

Group Four  Listed below are some subtle forms of advertising. Brainstorm as a group to add to the list, or think of more examples of the types of advertising on the list. - Athletes wearing clothing with prominently displayed logos - Songs with product names in them (one example is Summer Girls by LFO with the line "I like girls who wear Abercrombie and Fitch") - Shows or stars that have spin-off products like action figures or collectibles like the Melrose Place fashion line at Kmart. - Models in CK One ads have an e-mail address and respond with "personal" e-mails about their private lives. Consider these examples and those that you've come up with. (Look through the magazines that have been brought to class for a few examples.) 1. Which of these is the most (or the least) effective form of advertising? Why? 2. Which one costs least to produce? 3. Which of these types of advertisements is most common?