Media literacy is the ability to analyze and
evaluate the messages we see in movies, television
shows, magazines, newspapers, online, and in
other forms of media. One part of media literacy
is developing the ability to take a critical
look at advertisements, so you can understand
how advertisements are constructed as well
as how to interpret their messages. What are
some of the strategies used to create advertisements?
How do professionals use these techniques to
persuade you? Is there an element of bias in
an advertisement you've recently seen? In this
WebQuest, you will explore advertising strategies,
understand how they are used to get their messages
across, and evaluate how bias can play a role
in advertising.
Top
Your job in the WebQuest is to expand your
media literacy. You will learn about advertising
techniques and investigate their use. You'll
take a look at stereotyping as one type of
bias in advertising. Once you've conducted
some research to increase your knowledge of
advertising and bias, select a print advertisement
to evaluate. Using a worksheet, you'll describe
the elements of the print ad and describe biases
you observe. The purpose of this evaluation
is to help you become more informed about advertising
techniques and bias in order to make you a
better consumer of advertising and the products
and services they promote.
Top
2 days to answer the questions and evaluate
a product advertisement
Top
First, read through the following set of questions
before you begin your Internet research. As
you explore each site, look for answers to
the questions.
Questions about Evaluating Bias in
Consumer Product Advertisements
- What are some strategies that professional
groups use to create "good ads?" Which strategies
have the potential to introduce bias? Why?
- What is a strategy that advertisers use
to gain your attention? Think of an example
of an advertisement that uses this strategy.
Describe the ad and its strategy.
- What are the elements of a magazine advertisement?
How do they work to persuade the reader?
- What is stereotyping? Why is stereotyping
a problem?
- Some types of advertising contain the ad
creator's perspective. What is propaganda?
What is the difference between information
and propaganda?
Next, use the Print Advertisement
Analysis worksheet to evaluate a print
ad for bias. (Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader®)
Select a printed advertisement from one of
these sources:
- Local or national newspapers
- Magazines
- Periodicals
- Organization newsletters
Use the worksheet to evaluate the information
in the advertisement. Describe the techniques
included in the ad and address the biases that
are specifically represented.
Review the rubric to understand how your worksheet
will be evaluated.
Top
Look at these web sites to find the information
that will help you answer questions about bias
in product advertising and to gather information
to use for your advertisement evaluation.
Top
In the process of completing this WebQuest,
you've become informed about the techniques
of advertising as well as evaluating bias in
advertising. You have read information to answer
questions about this topic, and have increased
your media literacy. You've also used your
evaluation skills to take a critical look at
a print advertisement. By expanding your media
literacy, you will become more aware of advertising
techniques, how they are used to persuade you,
and how to be observant of the different messages
advertisements present.
Top
