What is paid advertising?

Online paid advertising is similar, but is a form of advertising which uses the Internet to market messages to an audience. This can take the form of a visual ad or a short video ad that pops up on a website or social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook.

Companies also use celebrities, politicians and social media influencers to market their products. This is called an endorsement. An endorsement is a form of public support or approval. Often celebrities will endorse a product or service for a company, stating their approval of the product or service. If an endorsement is given, that person is basically saying, "I approve of this service or product.”

What examples of paid advertising have you encountered? Create a list of the examples that you can think of. You can record your ideas using a method of your choice.

Then, reflect on your list. Did these advertisements influence your ideas about a product or service? If so, how? Explain your thinking.

Making connections

Advertisers use influencers to help them market and sell their products. An influencer is a person or a group that has the ability to influence the behavior or opinions of others.

Read the article How influencer marketing has moved the ethical goalposts. Again.

After reading or listening to the article, discuss these questions and record your responses in an audio recording, on paper, on a computer, or in an organizational tool of your choice.

• What does influencer marketing mean?
• Could you name some examples of paid advertising or endorsements from this article?
• How do influencers impact people's purchasing decisions?
• Can you think of any examples of influencers?

Research

There are companies that use and rely on influencer marketing to advertise their brand through social media. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are some examples of media platforms that influencers use to promote a brand’s products or services.

Now that you have a better understanding of influencer marketing, you are going to do some research. Use the internet to research examples of famous and successful social media influencers and track your research in an audio recording, on paper, or by completing the Influencer Marketing Chart in your notebook or by using the following fillable and printable document.

Creating media

Planning

Suppose you have become an influencer! Use your research to help you create a short advertisement on a product of your choice. Think of a product that is already on the market, or an original idea of your own. The type of advertising is up to you. Just be sure to select one that will help you to market your product and/or service to a specific audience.

As you plan your advertisement, consider:

What is your platform?

What is your product?

How is your advertisement going to work?

Complete the Influencer Planning Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. You can also use another format of your choice like a visual storyboard, or a mind map.

Reflection

As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.

Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, text-to-speech, or writing tool.

When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.