Preparation
and Background
Before
you begin your task
Activity
#1 - Class Analysis
View the
presentation on critiquing advertisements that your teacher has prepared.
As you view the ads consider the following:
- What is being sold?
- Who is the target
audience?
- What other underlying
messages do each of the ads convey?
- What underlying needs
are these ads appealing to?
- What is interesting
about the image?
- What proportion of
the ad does the image make up?
- What is eye catching
about this image? What else does it make you think about?
- What emotion do you
think the designer was trying to evoke?
- What is the headline?
Where is it located?
- What makes the headline
memorable?
- What emotional impact
does the headline have?
Activity #2 - Critique
of Print Ads
Individually collect
5 advertisements that you wish to critique in class the following day. Think
about the ads that you critiqued with the class. When you are selecting your
ads consider both the obvious and subtle messages.
- Look for examples that
will prompt discussion and be interesting to analyze.
- Meet in a group of
3 or 4 to critique the advertisements that you have collected. Use the Critique
Questions to help you get started.
- Choose the 3 advertisements
that have the best visual.
- Choose the 3 ads that
have the best headlines.
- Choose the 3 ads that
have the best copy.
- Organize the 9 examples
on a poster. Include labels and written explanations of the strengths of
each example.
- Prepare to present
your poster in the classroom gallery.
Activity
#3 - Adbusters as Social Commentary
- In pairs view spoof
ads at the Adbuster site.
- Examine examples within
each of the five categories: fashion, tobacco, alcohol, food and miscellaneous.
- For each of these
categories describe the intent of the ads in 3 or 4 sentences.