Unit 2

How Do Advertisements Influence People?

Lesson 2

 Activity: Reader's Notebook

YOU Are the Target; pp. 78-81 

Pages 78 to 81 of Literacy in Action 5A.


An audience is the intended target for an advertisement.  Advertisers survey a specific age group such as children or type of person such as sports lovers.  Advertisers want to learn how to target their ads more effectively.  

Advertisers know that consumers, people who buy their products, learn from visual information.   Repetition helps viewers remember information.  This is why consumers may view ads for the same product over and over - on TV, on the Internet, on billboards, on signs, and on posters.

The next selection you will read explains how important emotion is to advertising.  Advertisers try to create a good mood or feeling about a product to get people to buy it.  For example, food ads may show a family gathering. Advertisers hope the happy times you associate with family, will also be associated with their product.
Click each coloured row for information about the activity.

Think About It


How do ads try to influence you to buy a product?

Buyer: Are You Ad Aware?


  1. Complete the document Buyer: Are You Ad Aware? to prepare you for the selection you will be reading.
  2. Turn to page 78 of Literacy In Action 5A.   Read the title and look at the pictures on pp. 79-80.  Answer the first question in the Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target.




Document: Buyer: Are You Ad Aware?
Click here to download

Download PDF


  1. Download the documents Buyer: Are You Ad Aware? and Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target.
  2. IMPORTANT NOTE: When the download screen opens: 
      • Click the "Open with" button.
      • Select "Adobe Reader".
      • Click "OK".
      • You will then be able to view the documents Buyer: Are You Ad Aware? and Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target.

  3. Print the document.  These activities are not for marks.


Document: Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target
Click here to download

Read the selection on pages 78 to 81 of Literacy in Action 5A.


Some of the advertising techniques that are mentioned by name are publicity blitz, emotion, product placement, and celebrity spokesperson. Others are simply described like the use of social media, peer pressure, and going around parents to directly influence children.  You probably recognized some of them. 
Answer questions 2 to 4 while reading.

Product placement, product bombarding, peer pressure, and using famous people in ads are a few effective advertising techniques mentioned in YOU Are the Target.


  1. Answer Question 5 in the Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target.
  2. Look over the document Buyers, Are You Ad Aware? that you started at the beginning of this lesson and check to see if there are any questions you would now answer differently. If so, go back and add to your answer.
Game

Game

  • At this point in the unit, you are encouraged to explore Level 3 of Admongo. There are four levels that you will investigate at different points in the unit.
  • Admongo – advertising literacy training for tweens
  • Level 3: Planadtarium – how advertisers target their ads
    • Area 1 – who the audience is
    • Area 2 - where, when and how to place their ads

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Scan the document to your computer.
  2. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  3. Name your Reader's Notebook: YOU Are the Target file in this format: jsmith_youarethetarget and save the file to your Documents folder.
Compare your responses with those in the Key by clicking here.  This activity is not for marks.