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
