Advertising and Marketing: Influence on Consumers

Active learning works well for this topic because young students learn best by doing. Examining real ads, creating their own, and discussing influences helps them connect abstract concepts to concrete experiences in ways that passive lessons cannot.

• Foundation
• HASS
• 4 activities
• 20 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

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

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

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.

Prepare & details

Identify common techniques used in advertising and marketing.

Facilitation Tip: During the Scavenger Hunt, provide real ads from local shops or magazines so students engage with authentic examples, not just textbook images.

⏱ 25 min·Whole Class

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.

Prepare & details

Analyze how advertising influences consumer wants and needs.

Facilitation Tip: For the Sorting Game, use items students recognize from home or school, like snacks or toys, to make the needs versus wants distinction meaningful.

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

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.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the ethical considerations and regulations surrounding advertising practices.

Facilitation Tip: When students create mini ads, give them a limited set of tools—such as stickers or crayons—to focus their creativity and emphasize the power of simple techniques like color and words.

⏱ 20 min·Whole Class

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.

Prepare & details

Identify common techniques used in advertising and marketing.

Facilitation Tip: In the Circle Share, model emotional vocabulary by sharing your own feelings about an ad first to help students articulate their reactions.

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should model skepticism by openly questioning ads themselves, such as asking, 'Why do you think this cereal box is so colorful?' This normalizes critical thinking. Avoid dismissing students' excitement about ads outright, as this can shut down discussion. Research shows that when students create their own ads, they begin to see through persuasive techniques more easily, so design activities that reveal the 'behind-the-scenes' work of advertising.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying advertising techniques in media, explaining how ads affect their choices, and distinguishing between needs and wants with clear reasoning. Collaboration and reflection should show growing awareness of consumer influences.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who assume ads show products exactly as they work. Redirect by having them compare ad images to real products and note differences in lighting, angles, or missing parts.

What to Teach Instead

Use the Sorting Game materials to ask: 'Would you buy this if it looked exactly like the ad?' This encourages students to question the accuracy of ads and recognize edits.

Common Misconception

During Circle Share, students may say, 'Ads only influence other kids, not me.' Redirect by asking them to share a time they felt tempted by an ad, normalizing personal experiences.

What to Teach Instead

During the Pairs Create activity, have students include a 'feelings checklist' in their mini ads to highlight emotions they want to evoke, reinforcing that ads target everyone.

Common Misconception

During Sorting Game, some students may believe that if an ad appears often, the product must be best. Redirect by asking, 'Does the toy in the commercial always work like this in real life?', linking ad frequency to company spending rather than quality.

What to Teach Instead

After the Sorting Game, challenge students to find two ads for the same product and compare how often each appears, then discuss why companies might choose one over the other.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Scavenger Hunt, show three different advertisements and 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

After Sorting Game, present the 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

During Pairs Create, give each student a small piece of paper and ask them to draw one thing they learned about advertisements today and write one word to describe how ads make people feel or act.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students who finish early to create a counter-ad that promotes a healthier or more affordable version of the product.
• For students who struggle, provide a word bank of techniques (e.g., bright colors, catchy slogans) to use during the Scavenger Hunt or Sorting Game.
• Give extra time to small groups to research a local product ad campaign and present how it uses different techniques over time.

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.