Commercials

Let’s think about the commercials we’ve encountered. Is there a commercial that stands out? What made the advertisement memorable? Was it the visuals, celebrity appearance, catchy jingle, or the appeal of the product or service itself?

Advertisers consider many different details to make their advertisements memorable and appealing to consumers. From the music and colours they use, to objects in the background and camera angles. Advertisers try and combine many strategies to create a persuasive message.

Three persuasive advertising techniques

There are three persuasive techniques that you’ll likely notice in advertising: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ethos has to do with credibility. This means the advertiser will try to appeal to an audience by gaining their trust. They may include “expert” opinions, customer reviews, or use a celebrity to endorse a product or service.

Pathos has to do with emotions. This means the advertiser will try to appeal to an audience by making the audience feel something. They may do this by including an inspirational story, cute animals, something humorous, and the like.

Logos has to do with logic. This means the advertiser will try to appeal to an audience using data to sell their product or service. This can be done through the use of statistics, facts, and graphs, which work together to persuade the consumer to purchase a product or service.

Task 1: What is a commercial?

Check out this TVOKids promotional video from 2011:

After exploring the video, answer the following questions on a piece of paper.

• What form of media is this?
• What is the purpose of this video?
• Who do you think is the intended audience?

Press the ‘Definition’ to access what a commercial is.

Definition

Task 2: Researching a commercial

Use the Internet to find a commercial. Use the following questions listed to examine the commercial and keep track of important details. You may use a method of your choice to record your responses.

• What is the product/service being advertised?
• Who is the target audience?
• How does this commercial appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos?
• What are the conventions used in this commercial?
• What reasons does the commercial give for why you should buy this product/service?
• Is everything in the commercial relevant?
• Do the reasons they give you make sense?

Complete the Analyzing a Commercial in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Task 3: Create a commercial

Lights! Camera! Action! It is time to create your own commercial!

Select a product or service that you want to advertise. You can choose an existing product/service or create one yourself. Be sure to consider your target audience and how you will convince them to buy your product or service.

Your plan should include:

• your product or service
• your target audience
• the conventions you will include (e.g., slogan and/or logo, characters, storyline, camera angles, etc.)
• the techniques you will use (e.g., How will you appeal to your audience and persuade them to buy your product or service?)
• a storyboard that will outline your commercial from start to finish
• a script for your commercial (either in an audio recording or written)

Please note, a storyboard is similar to a comic strip. You will draw or describe what is happening in each shot of your video. If you choose to draw, include a short description below each shot that explains what is happening in that frame (e.g., the camera angles, music, etc.)

Let’s co-create the Success Criteria for your commercial.

Complete the Storyboard Planner in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Task 1: Filming your commercial

Now that you have created your plan for your commercial, it is time to film it. Be creative! You can also create an audio commercial. Consider all the factors that you need to include. Your commercial should:

• be 2-3 minutes in length
• have at least one (1) character in it
• have a clear setting
• use music and dialogue
• use the success criteria we created in the Action portion of this lesson (Task 3)
• follow the script and storyboard created in the previous task

Task 2: Reflection

Reflect on the commercial you have created. Use the questions below to guide your reflection.

• What is the product/service being advertised?
• Who was your target audience?
• How does your commercial appeal to pathos, ethos, or logos?
• What are the conventions used in your commercial?
• What reasons does your commercial give for why the audience should buy your product/service?

Complete My Commercial in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Reflection

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.

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