Talk Back 4-8 (middle school) advertising, media literacy approximately 2 class periods During the 1920s, the proliferation of new newspapers, magazines and radio technology increased the role of mass advertising in America. Today, ads on TV and in magazines reach millions of consumers every day. In this activity, students study print and TV ads and search for examples in which advertising companies rely on negative stereotypes or misleading information to market their products. In addition, students look for "positive" advertisements that feature characters that deliberately go against a stereotype. Afterward, students write a letter to a company either to criticize or compliment it on an advertisement. Begin by having your students read the articles "Advertisers on the Air" and "Hot off the Presses." To help students begin to think critically about advertisements, lead a class discussion about questions such as: What are some of your favorite ads on TV or in magazines? Why? Are there any advertisements that bother you because they are misleading about certain groups of people (e.g. kids, senior citizens, men, women, people with disabilities, ethnic groups)? How might these advertisements be improved? In addition to selling products, do you think advertisements affect people's attitudes about other things (e.g., cultural stereotypes)? Why or why not? Many companies have commented that they take printed letters more seriously than e-mail letters. Why do you think this is? Do you predict this trend will continue 25 years from now? Why? Show students five different examples of advertisements. These can be pages torn from magazines or video clips recorded from TV. Lead a discussion about these ads, inviting students to comment on what they like and dislike about them. Distribute the worksheet for this activity. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Each group needs to find an advertisement about which they have strong feelings. Students then use the guiding questions on the worksheet to compose a letter to the company who sponsored the ad. They comment on specific reactions to the ad. If they dislike a feature of the ad, they should offer a possible solution. Help students find the address for the company either by using the Internet, product packaging, or resources from the local library. Then have students type their letters and mail them to the company. Encourage students to write to a specific individual at the company (such as the company president or the public relations director). Letters without names sometimes get lost in a big company. Create a wall display in your classroom that includes (1) all the letters the students wrote to the companies (2) the advertisements that inspired them (if using TV ads, students can draw pictures of them), and (3) any company responses to the letters. Note: Some letters to companies can take several months to be answered; some companies may never reply. Talk Back Advertisements on TV and in magazines often convey messages that go beyond the products they are selling. Ads often send messages about different groups of citizens, such as women, minorities, kids, and so on. In this activity, you have critically reviewed a number of advertisements and selected one that you especially like or dislike. By writing a letter to the company who sponsored the ad, you have shared your views and perhaps influenced how the company will create ads in the future.
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