Minds On

Two photos

Explore the descriptions and the images below.

The first description, of the first photo, is of a young woman drinking coffee from a disposable coffee cup that is nearly the size of her body. She is standing beside the take-away counter of a cafe while drinking from the cup. The cup has a logo on it. There is text over the image that reads “Never Stop Hydrating!”

The description of the second photo, is for a white take-away coffee cup that sits on a plain background.

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

Consider the following questions:

  • What is the difference between these two descriptions?
  • Which is more appealing to you? Why?
  • Which one of these is an advertisement? How do you know?
  • Record your thinking using a method of your choice.

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Action

What is an ad?

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

In the Minds On section, you explored two descriptions. What makes one of those an advertisement and the other just an image? Advertisements have a purpose and a target audience. What is the message in the first description of the woman drinking a coffee? We can use the image and the text to make an assumption about the purpose. We might assume that the ad is encouraging people to drink more coffee. Who do you think the target audience is? If possible, share your thoughts with a partner and explain why you think this. Record your ideas using a method of your choice.

woman drinking coffee

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Conventions in advertising

In the Minds On section, you identified some differences between an advertisement and a description of an image. There are also differences between an audio advertisement, a song/lyrics, or series of sounds. An audio advertisement is one that gets announced on the radio. These differences can be described as conventions. Advertisements have certain conventions that we can identify. The conventions can be put into three categories:

  • technical: closeups, medium and long shots, objects in perspective, camera angles, background music, sound effects
  • signs and symbols: logo, characters, location, costumes, objects, products
  • text in the advertisement: title, headlines, captions, speech bubbles, slogan, tag lines

Identify the conventions

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

Review the two descriptions from the Minds On section. If possible, work with a partner. Use the table below to identify the advertising conventions in the description and/or images. After reviewing the content, is it easier to identify which of the two is more likely to be an advertisement?

Complete the Advertising Conventions Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Advertising Conventions Chart.

Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Change the symbols, change the message

An advertisement has been created for promoting recycling and taking care of our environment.

Consider the use of two descriptions or images. This first is of a sand beach with a leaning palm tree and a clear, vibrant sea in the background. The second is of a sand beach with palm trees and a sea in the background, yet covering the beach are a lot of plastic bottles.

Of the two descriptions or images, which would you select to use for this advertisement? Why would you choose one over the other? What information does each description and/or image provide? Would you choose something different? Is there a way in which both might be used?

Which, of the above two pictures, did you think is more suitable for an advertisement about recycling? What type of advertisement (or other media form) would the other be better for? Record your ideas using a method of your choice.

It is important to select an appropriate text and information. It is also important to select the technical aspects for an advertisement. Changing the symbols or words can change the whole message. It can also change the kinds of emotions and feelings the audience experiences.

Consolidation

Designing an ad

It's time to create your own ad design! Select an image and description from the options below. Once you have selected your image and description, decide how it could be used as an advertisement.

Choose

A plain cat figurine wearing sunglasses. The frames of the sunglasses are covered in googly eyes. There is a stack of bananas on the cat’s head that looks like a wig. The background is bright and plain, without a design. An image showing a plain cat figurine wearing sunglasses. The frames of the sunglasses are covered by small googly eyes. There is a stack of bananas on the cat’s head. This looks like a wig.

A high-top sneaker that is mostly plain with different accent designs. The laces are untied. The shoe is sitting on top of a wooden board that has three wire springs attached to the bottom of it. The background of the image is plain. An image of a white top-high sneaker atop of a wood board with wire springs attached to its bottom.

There is a sandwich against a plain background. The bread of the sandwich looks like white crackers. The sandwich is filled with daisies and roses. There is a small pink flag stuck on the top of the sandwich. An image showing a flower sandwich. The flowers used are daisies and roses between two white crackers. There is a small pink flag stuck to the top cracker.

Design

  • What is the advertisement for?
  • Who is the advertisement for?
  • How will I create the advertisement?

Once you have completed your design, explain your design using the sentence starters below:

  • the purpose of the ad is to encourage the audience to…….
  • the target audience for this ad is…….
  • the conventions I used are…….
Student chatting on a laptop

Reflection

Reflect on the process of creating your advertisement:

  • Where did your idea for the ad come from?
  • Did your idea change or evolve while you were designing?
  • What connections did you make between the object in the image and your own experiences?
  • What features in the image appealed to you and influenced the ad you designed?

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel...

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, text-to-speech, or writing tool.