HASS · Foundation · Working Together · Term 4

Advertising and Marketing: Influence on Consumers

Investigating the techniques used in advertising and marketing and their influence on consumer behaviour and choices.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HE7K03

About This Topic

Foundation HASS students explore advertising and marketing by spotting techniques like bright colors, catchy slogans, and repetition in everyday media such as TV, shops, and billboards. They connect these to consumer choices in the Working Together unit, identifying how ads shape wants for toys or snacks. This builds awareness of influences on family and community decisions, aligning with ACARA goals for early social understanding.

Students distinguish needs from wants promoted by ads and consider basic ethics, like telling the truth. Australian rules under consumer law prevent misleading claims aimed at children. These ideas develop media literacy, critical thinking, and responsible choice-making skills that support lifelong civic engagement.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. Children hunt for ads, sort techniques, and role-play creators, making persuasion tangible through play. Hands-on tasks spark discussions, reveal peer influences, and embed habits of questioning ads, far beyond rote learning.

Key Questions

1. Identify common techniques used in advertising and marketing.
2. Analyze how advertising influences consumer wants and needs.
3. Evaluate the ethical considerations and regulations surrounding advertising practices.

Learning Objectives

• Identify common advertising techniques such as bright colors, catchy sounds, and repetition used in various media.
• Analyze how specific advertisements influence personal or family wants and needs for products like toys or food.
• Explain the difference between a 'need' and a 'want' as presented in advertising.
• Compare the messages of two different advertisements for similar products.

Before You Start

Identifying Objects and Their Purpose

Why: Students need to be able to recognize common objects and understand their basic function before analyzing how advertisements promote them.

Basic Communication Skills

Why: The ability to listen to instructions, respond to simple questions, and express ideas verbally is necessary for participating in discussions and activities.

Key Vocabulary

Advertisement	A public promotion of some product or service, often using persuasive techniques.
Marketing	The process of planning and carrying out the development, pricing, promotion, and distribution of products or services.
Consumer	A person who purchases goods and services for personal use.
Slogan	A short, memorable phrase used in advertising to represent a product or company.
Brand	A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Ads always show products exactly as they work.

What to Teach Instead

Ads use edits and music to idealize items. Hands-on comparisons of ad images to real objects in groups help students spot tricks. Sharing discrepancies builds evidence-based skepticism.

Common Misconception

Ads only influence other kids, not me.

What to Teach Instead

Everyone feels ad pull through emotions. Role-plays of buying decisions show personal reactions. Group talks normalize experiences and strengthen self-awareness.

Common Misconception

Lots of ads mean a product is the best.

What to Teach Instead

Ad amount ties to company spending, not quality. Sorting games by ad frequency versus class likes debunk this. Discussions shift focus to own needs.

Active Learning Ideas

Scavenger Hunt: Spot the Techniques

Distribute magazines, flyers, and device screenshots of ads. In small groups, students circle examples of colors, slogans, or repeats, then share one with the class and name the technique. Follow with a group chart of findings.

30 min·Small Groups

Sorting Game: Needs vs Wants

Prepare picture cards of ad-featured items like fruit, bikes, and dolls. Whole class sorts into needs or wants columns on a board. Discuss ad tricks that blur lines, then vote on most persuasive.

25 min·Whole Class

Pairs Create: Mini Ad Makers

In pairs, students draw an ad for a school snack using one technique like a fun slogan. Pairs present, class guesses the technique and says if it creates a want. Display on walls.

35 min·Pairs

Circle Share: Ad Feelings

Form a circle with toy samples and matching ad images. Each student shares if the ad makes them want it more and why. Teacher notes patterns on a class mind map.

20 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Children see advertisements for toys on television shows or in online videos, which can influence their requests to parents for birthday or holiday gifts.
• Supermarkets use colorful displays and special offers, a form of marketing, to encourage shoppers to buy certain brands of cereal or snacks.
• Local businesses, like a nearby bakery or a children's clothing store, might use flyers or posters in the community to attract customers.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Show students three different advertisements (e.g., a toy ad, a food ad, a public service announcement). Ask students to point to or verbally identify one technique used in each ad and explain what the ad wants them to do or buy.

Discussion Prompt

Present a scenario: 'Imagine you see an advertisement for a new video game that promises to be the most fun ever. Is this game something you *need* or something you *want*? Why?' Facilitate a class discussion comparing student responses and linking them to advertising messages.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one thing they learned about advertisements today and write one word to describe how ads make people feel or act.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to teach advertising techniques to Foundation HASS students?

Use familiar examples from TV cartoons, shop signs, and food packets. Highlight three techniques: bright colors, repeats, and slogans with picture hunts. Short group shares reinforce recognition without overwhelming young learners. Link to daily choices for relevance. (62 words)

How do ads influence children's wants and needs?

Ads link fun emotions and friends to products, turning wants like extra toys into felt needs. Repetition and stars make them memorable. Class sorting of ad items versus true needs clarifies distinctions and sparks talks on smart choices. (58 words)

How can active learning help students understand advertising influence?

Activities like ad hunts and role-plays let students feel persuasion directly, as they create and critique peers' work. Collaborative sorting reveals shared reactions, while reflections connect to real life. This playful analysis builds lasting media smarts over lectures. (60 words)

What ethical rules apply to ads for young children in Australia?

Australian Consumer Law bans misleading claims and requires proof for promises. Ads must not exploit kids' trust or inexperience. Teach via honest versus tricky ad examples in discussions, emphasizing fairness and truth for community good. (56 words)