Media Literacy Understanding Advertising and the Manipulation of

Media Literacy Understanding Advertising and the Manipulation of the Consumer. That’s You! (The ads used come from Ad Flip) www. adflip. com/ and from AdCracker

The Most Frequently Used Techniques! n n n Advertisers use many different methods and techniques to induce you to buy THEIR product. The list below is one way to categorize some of the techniques Other methods are also used and you will learn them in the next part of this activity!

Techniques Used in Advertising Click on individual techniques to go to that slide n n n n Luxury and Elegance Search for Adventure Too Fat/Too Thin Ultimate Male/Female The New Woman Loving Couple Emotion (appeal to) n Humor n n n n Past, Present, Future Endorsement The Select Few Desire for Possession Velvet Touch Nationalism A list of ad techniques from Ad. Cracker a site PROMOTING ad skills and techniques

Luxury and Elegance n If you own or buy this product, you must be…! • Wealthy! • Have SUCH good taste! • Successful, or powerful, or attractive. • SO Cool! What you wear/own tells others all of the above is YOU! Online Ads of this type! Cadillac

Search for Adventure n Own/Buy this and: • You’ll always be in “Adventure Land. ” • You’ll look like this rugged he-man (or super fit, confident woman. ) • You’ll always be doing daring, cool, risky things! Online Ads of this Type Marlboro MAN! Army

Too Fat, Too Thin, Not Attractive Enough! n You don’t look like you should! (According to the advertising industry) n You should be: • Bigger/smaller Diet Pills • Thinner/larger/sexier Wonderbra • More rugged/’cool/young looking Aveeno n n n You have zits! You can’t be cool! You aren’t a muscular, hairy-chested guy. You lose! You need thighthinner, pimples-be-gone cream, tommystuff, etc. !

Ultimate Female/Male n n This product will make you the ideal man/woman. (What we tell you that is!) You’ll look like the ideal man/woman. (Woo hooo!) You’ll get everything a real man/woman should have! Esquire’s Real Man

The New Woman! Think V******a Slims! n n n Some athletic equipment or sneaker ads. Any add that portrays a woman as different from the “old” woman: a stereotype who is weak, needy, dependant on a man, etc…. Or ashamed of her real body!

The Loving Couple n n n If you buy this, you’ll be just like the couple in the ad! If you don’t buy this, we’re not responsible for the failure of your relationship! We “almost” guarantee that you will be as in-love as the two models or actors we show you here! (Think about it! They’re actors!)

Appeal to Emotion n n Charities try to make you feel guilty. The military tries to make you feel unpatriotic and guilty (Or they go for the Adventure technique. ) Sad or happy moments are used to manipulate too! If you are feeling emotion about an ad, they are selling you something! WWII Women's’ ads

If you were an American, this add might have made you angry by challenging you to Prove It! So you buy a bond! Any emotion will work!

Here, the mythical version of the pilgrims is associated with conserving fuel and tires for the war effort. And to sell beer!

Past, Present Future n n n We are selling what you remember from the past, or want in the future! If you buy this, you’ll live in the happy times (from the past or future) Perfumes are often associated with memory of the past

This perfume ad tells you’ll be a child again. Ahh! happy times! (But still a WOMAN!) http: //www. childperfume. com/

Endorsement n n Hi! I’m the famous celebrity/sports star/etc. All you need to know is I’m famous, so buy this! Anyone you’ve heard of who tries to use their notoriety to sell you … whatever! Wayne Gretzky, Brittney, Oprah, Jay-Lo, P. Diddy, Bob Dole and Half the New York Yankees (Viagra) The next picture is a celebrity selling you herself! (But they’ll “shill” for anything!) Except Neil Young! But the New Moon movie? No Problem

The Select Few n n We don’t allow just ANYONE to use this product! Knives If you use this, you must be among a select and “chosen” few. Our product will make you SPECIAL! Investing Our car means you ARE Special!

Desire for Possession n You simply can’t be happy or complete unless you have… • You don’t need it but… • If you don’t have it you can’t be… • It’ll sure impress your friends! • How did I live without this wonderful…

The Velvet Touch n n That looks so GOOOOD! That sounds so GOOOOOD! Your ad tells/shows me how GOOOOD it is! Even Cameras! Cars!

Nationalism or National Pride ! n n Because… “I AM Canadian!” Buy American! Don’t buy an imported car and let THEM steal our jobs! My country is the best…!

What techniques are being used in the slides below? Click on the picture for the large format version. Answer the last question on the worksheet using these four ads

That is all of the thirteen common techniques. They will often be seen in combination, and there are other methods used to influence your thinking. Some writers also refer to these by different names. Even if you do not know you’re being manipulated, you are still being conned! When all else fails, try humor! And again! And still again!