Cyberganda Advertising

Adapted from a web quest by
Jeanell Bertels, jbertels@mail.community.k12.mo.us

Introduction - Task - Details - Conclusion

Introduction
Large companies pay big bucks for creative and effective advertising campaigns. You’re lucky enough to have just been hired by Cyberganda to develop an advertising campaign for one of their new products. Cyberganda would like to see a variety of advertising types and techniques employed to promote their product. Your purpose is to develop an appealing advertisement that generates billions of dollars in sales. This webquest will help you become a more persuasive person as well as help you recognize and manage the influential attempts of others.

It will make you a better consumer. You will be able to spot tricks of advertising and avoid falling into traps set for consumers. One famous trap included the subliminal suggestions during movies that caused movie goers to go to the snack bar even though they were unconscious of seeing the images and weren’t even hungry. Effective citizenship requires us to think critically about what we hear, see, and read. Now you can practice how to hear, see, and read propaganda for what it really is.

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Task
You will work with a partner to gather information about advertising and use that information to develop an advertising campaign for your Cyberganda product. In order to do a quality job on any project, it is important to research the options. This Cyberganda adventure begins with a little exploration on the web. You will define propaganda techniques, make an outline of historical ads, learn the necessary elements in a good ad promotion, listen to famous slogans, and critique three ads found on the internet. After you’ve developed an understanding of propaganda techniques, you’re ready to develop your own ad.

Choose one of five products to develop a slogan, skit, poster, website, and packaging. Cyberganda’s portfolio includes the following items: a toy, car, article of clothing, music CD, and book. Your purpose is to choose one of those products and make it appealing to others, including the executives of Cyberganda.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO -

1. List and define seven common advertising techniques. Then, f ind examples of these seven techniques from magazines and the web. Present them to the class.

2. List ten popular slogans and their products.

3. Complete three critiques of different advertisements found on the web.

4. Develop an advertising campaign for your Cyberganda product. It must include four of the following items: slogan, skit, poster, webpage, and packaging.

5. Present your project to the class.

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Details

Part 1

There are many techniques advertisers use in order to convince consumers to buy products. Some of the more common techniques of persuasion include the following: bandwagon, transfer, name calling, repetition, glittering generalities, deck stacking, and snob appeal.

Look up and define seven popular propaganda techniques.

Find and list an example of each.

Use the following websites to determine definitions of at least seven different propaganda techniques. Be sure to scroll down to definitions when necessary.

Analyzing Advertising

Propaganda Techniques

Glossary of Commonly Used Techniques

Don't Buy It - Be a Media Detective

Common Advertising Strategies

Quotes About Commercials

The 30 Second Candidate - Political Ads

Fallacies - How Others Try to Persuade You

To look for examples of advertisments go to sites listed under activity #3 or search for your own.

 

Part 2

Look up, read, listen to, and list five popular advertising slogans from the past. Add five others that you are aware of from your own exposure to ads. Share your findings with the group.

 

Part 3

Analyze three different advertisements. They can be TV, Radio, magazine ads, Web banners, billboards, etc. Be sure to explore and enjoy ‘critically’ as many ads as you have time for.

Examples of ad critiques: Creativity's Ad Critic and Badvertising

Fill in your evaluation on this Advertising Analysis Worksheet.

Examples of ads to evaluate - or you can find your own:
You will be sharing your evaluations with the group so be sure you can find the ads you look at again.

 

Part 4

This is were you get to use your newly gained knowledge and innate creativity to develop your own Cyberganda advertising campaign. Choose one of the following products:

toy, car, candy, clothing, or a music CD

or - Have a better product idea? Suggest one!

Develop an advertising campaign that will knock the socks off Cyberganda executives. Your portfolio should include three of the following advertising techniques:

slogan,
poster of a print ad design for magazine or billboard,
skit of a TV ad,
website advertising,
packaging if the product includes it.

Create the advertising for your product.

Be able to explain your product, your target audience, the advertising techniques you chose and why you chose them.

Pretend that your classmates are Cyberganda executives and you have to sell them on your campaign.

 

Part 5

And finally - present your campaign!

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Conclusion
By accomplishing this webquest, you will have gained a solid foundation in making critical decisions regarding attempts of persausion. You will be more able to make buying decisions on your personal needs as opposed to the influence of advertising. Remember, advertisers spend their lives trying to figure out how to get you to spend your hard earned money.