Grade 10 Unit 6: Advertisements as a Form of Persuasion

Grade 10 Unit 6: Advertisements as a Form of Persuasion

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Unit Objectives 3

Lesson 1: Definition and Purposes of Advertisements and Ways of Advertising 3 Warm-up! 4 Learn About It! 4 Check Your Understanding 6 Let’s Step Up! 7

Lesson 2: Elements of Advertisements 8 Warm-up! 8 Learn About It! 8 Check Your Understanding 9 Let’s Step Up! 10

Lesson 3: Persuasive Strategies, Rhetorical Devices, and Advertising Techniques Used in Advertisements 11

Warm-up! 11 Learn About It! 11 Check Your Understanding 14 Let’s Step Up! 15

Lesson 4: Analyzing Advertisements 16 Warm-up! 16 Learn About It! 16 Check Your Understanding 17 Let’s Step Up! 18

Performance Task 19

Self-Check: How Well Did I Learn? 20

Wrap Up 21

Bibliography 21

2 Copyright © 2018 Quipper Limited

GRADE 10 |English

UNIT 6

Advertisements as a Form of Persuasion William Bernbach, who was an American advertising creative director, said, “Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.” As such, it is up to the creators of the advertisements to use their creativity as well as various persuasive techniques in creating ads that would appeal to consumers. You, as a consumer, will benefit from learning about these as well in order to be more discerning.

Unit Objectives

In this unit, you should be able to: ● state the definition and distinguish the types of advertisements; ● identify the elements of advertisements; ● recognize the persuasive strategies, rhetorical devices, and advertising techniques

used in advertisements; and ● analyze advertisements.

Lesson 1: Definition and Purposes of Advertisements and Ways of Advertising

You have been watching, listening to, reading, and looking at advertisements since you were young. It is easy and common to dismiss advertisements as simply a sales message. What you probably do not realize is that these are a complex form of communication that influences the consumer’s thoughts,


feelings, and even actions. As such, being able to recognize advertisements and view them with a critical eye can help you become a more discerning consumer or audience.

Warm-up!

Form groups with four members each. Choose a product that you like using. Once you have decided on a product, create an advertisement for it. It may be a print advertisement, radio advertisement, or television advertisement. Show your output through a storyboard. Be ready to present your work in class.

Learn About It!

An advertisement is a paid message that is created and disseminated in order to promote a product, an idea, or a service. Advertisements may be created for the following purposes:

a. The most common purpose of advertisements is to sell products or services.

b. Businesses also use advertisements to create a positive image of their company.

c. Companies also use advertisements to obtain new customers and increase the sales of their products.

d. Individuals, social organizations, political parties and candidates, and special-interest groups also make use of advertisements to gain more popularity, seek influence in the public, or for other promotional purposes. Examples:

▪ Individuals put out advertisements to sell property such as cars, houses, and even other used goods.


▪ Political parties and candidates make use of advertisements to get people to vote for them. ▪ Social organizations and special-interest groups use advertisements to promote a cause or to influence the way people think and act.

Various forms of mass media make it possible for advertisements to reach people. These media include television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.

a. Television – This is the main medium used by national advertisers. One advantage of using television for advertisements is that doing so engages the consumers’ sense of sight and sound. Since the advertisements on television are animated, it makes it easier for advertisers to explain and demonstrate their products or services. Also, television is watched by numerous people all over the country.

b. Radio – Local advertisers often choose to advertise on radio to reach audiences in specific locations. An advantage of advertising on radio is that people can listen to the radio even while doing other things such as while working at home or driving a car. Advertisements on radio may be in the form of songs, dramatized stories, or direct sales announcements.

c. Newspapers – There are two types of advertisements printed on newspapers: display ads and classified ads. Display ads may be less than a square inch or may occupy a space as large as a full page or more, and most of these ads include illustrations. By putting an advertisement in a certain section such as the lifestyle, business, or sports section, advertisers can reach their specific target audience. Classified ads, on the other hand, are usually only several lines. These ads typically list things that people have for sale, such as cars, houses, furniture, or other goods. Companies may also advertise job openings using classified ads. One advantage of advertising in newspapers is its timeliness. Should there be any changes in the market or a sudden demand for a certain product, a company may easily get their advertisement out. For example, businesses selling generators may place ads on newspapers the day after some cities experience a blackout.

d. Magazines – Since magazines come in different types and are about various subjects, advertisers can easily choose which magazine to place their ads in so that they can reach their target audience. Another advantage of advertising in magazines is that these are read at a leisurely pace and are usually kept for weeks or even months before being discarded. Often, there are also several people in a household who read the same


magazine. Aside from the aforementioned traditional ways of advertising, there are many other ways by which companies, organizations, and individuals put out advertisements. These include putting up outdoor signs, curating window displays, giving away novelty items, or advertising on the Internet and on social media platforms.

Check Your Understanding

1. What are the two types of ads printed in newspapers? 2. The main medium used by national advertisers is ____________. 3. It is the medium often preferred by local advertisers. 4. If an advertiser is concerned about the ad’s timeliness, he or she is likely to choose to

place the ad in a ______________. 5. To reach a specific target audience and several of them in a household, advertisers are

likely to place ads in a _____________.


Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 2: Elements of Advertisements

Each advertisement is created differently, and there are various strategies employed by advertisers in order to make their ads more appealing to the audience and effective in achieving their objectives.

Warm-up!

Suppose you are going to be making an advertisement for a laundry detergent specifically for babies’ clothes. What medium(s) are you going to use? Why did you choose it/them? What are your strategies for advertising the product? What tagline will you use? Write down your plans on a sheet of paper and share your plans and thoughts with a partner.

Learn About It!

There are certain elements that are taken into account in making advertisements. These elements are the following:

a. Advertising strategy – For an advertisement to be effective, it should have a solid strategy. The strategy refers to the preparation and logic behind the advertisement; these give the ad its direction and focus. When thinking of a strategy for a particular advertisement, one should consider the target audience, the audience’s pertinent concerns


regarding the product or service, and the media that will best reach the audience. b. Creative idea – Each advertisement should have a central idea, which is the creative

concept behind it. This should be able to grab the audience’s attention and be memorable or at least be easily recalled with the use of the right prompts.

c. Creative execution – It is not enough, of course, for an advertisement to have a creative idea. This idea must also be executed well. This means that all the components of the advertisement should contribute positively to the conveying of the intended message and achieving the desired outcome. The writing, the photography, the lighting, the acting, the setting, and the printing need to be taken into account in the creation of the advertisement.

d. Creative media use – The medium or media used also plays an important role, as how the message is presented affects its effectiveness. Deciding on which media to use for the advertisement—be it through television, the Internet, or the radio—requires both logic and creativity.


1. The _____________ refers to the preparation and logic behind the advertisement. 2. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a good advertisement?

a. memorable b. creative c. attention-grabbing d. difficult to recall

3. The lighting, acting, photography, and the like all contribute to the ____________ of an advertisement.


4. Which of the following is a medium that is not ideal to use for an advertisement that aims to target the whole country? a. television b. magazine c. social media d. flyers

5. The creative concept behind each advertisement is also called its _____________.

Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 3: Persuasive Strategies, Rhetorical Devices, and Advertising Techniques Used in Advertisements

Think of the last time you tried to convince your parents of something. What did you do or what techniques did you use to persuade them? Whether you realize it or not, similar techniques are also used in advertisements to make them more convincing.

Warm-up!

Recall an advertisement that made you want to buy a certain product or service. Analyze the advertisement. What made it appealing to you? What do you think are the factors that make advertisements effective persuaders? Write down your answers and share them with a partner.

Learn About It!

Advertisements are meant to persuade, inform, and influence people. For an advertisement to be effective, it should attract the audience’s attention and interest. Thus, it should provide the audience with reasons why they should buy the product or believe the advertisement’s claims. This is achieved with


the use of appeals or persuasive techniques such as the ones discussed in the previous unit: logos, pathos, and ethos.

a. Logos – Advertisements making use of logos appeal to the audience’s reason.

For example, an advertisement promoting awareness regarding climate change could present statements such as “According to NASA, the average sea level is predicted to rise one to six feet within this century.

Such a statement makes use of logic, providing data from a reliable source of information on the matter.

b. Ethos – Also called as ethical appeal, advertisements making use of ethos convince readers of the credibility of the product or the company.

For instance, a brand of running shoes may get several well-known and top-performing athletes to endorse the shoes they make.

The credibility of the athletes lends credibility to the brand and the product as well.

c. Pathos – This is also referred to as emotional appeal. An advertisement that uses pathos aims to invoke sympathy.

For example, an advertisement raising awareness about animal rights may feature photographs of dogs that are very thin and are locked in small cages.

Aside from logos, ethos, and pathos, there are also rhetorical devices used to make advertisements more interesting. Here are some of them:

a. Rhyme – This is often used in order to create a slogan for a brand or product, which would make it more memorable for consumers.

For example, a tagline for a shoe polish such as “With Bergstein, you shine!”


makes use of rhyme.

b. Hyperbole – This occurs when a statement used is literally impossible to happen. It is

used to highlight and exaggerate what the product can do for the consumer.

For example, a television advertisement for a burger may feature actors and actresses who are momentarily unable to speak after tasting a burger, with the ad then cutting to a screen with the tagline “Delicious enough to make you speechless.”

c. Metaphor – This is used when a product is associated with something else in order to

convey the similarity between the two things.

For instance, a toothpaste may have the slogan “A bodyguard for your teeth. Gard toothpaste.”

This compares the toothpaste to a bodyguard, which aims to give the message that the toothpaste will provide protection for one’s teeth.

d. Pun – A pun, unlike a metaphor, relies on the similarity of one word to another in terms of the way they are written or the way they sound when spoken out loud.

An airline, for example, may release an ad with the statement “Don’t Kuwait traveling!”

In the statement, Kuwait serves as a pun for the word quit.

There are also other advertising techniques that advertisers use in order to get people to buy products or avail services. Below are just some of these techniques.

a. Testimonials – These refer to advertisements that feature an individual endorsing a product. Often, this individual is a celebrity, a person of authority, or someone well-known, but it could also be a bunch of regular and ordinary people.


b. Comparison of products – This is often used to advertise products that compete heavily with other brands. For example, an advertisement for Gleam laundry powder may show its stain-removing capabilities being compared with that of Brand X and Brand Y laundry powder.

c. Product characters – These are fictional people, cartoons, or characters used in advertisements for a long period of time. Often, these are used by advertisers in order for people to be highly familiar with the characters and help aid in the identification and recall of a company’s products. These are also often used in advertisements targeting children.

d. Slogans – These are short statements that a brand or company uses repeatedly in its advertisements. These should be easy to recall and be able to stick to people’s minds.

e. Attention-getting headlines – Used in print advertisements, these are catchy phrases or statements that are meant to entice the consumer to read the rest of the advertisement. Often, these may be about a feature or benefit of using a product or availing a service. The first lines in a television or radio advertisement function in the same way that a headline does in a print ad.


1. _________________ is also referred to as emotional appeal. 2. _________________ are fictional people, cartoons, or characters used in advertisements for

a long period of time. 3. The line “Yum Treats: the purr-fect way to show your cats you care” is a

_________________. 4. The word “purr-fect” in the previously given line is a _________________ on the word

perfect.


5. The line “So good, you’ll forget your name after tasting it” makes use of _________________.

Let’s Step Up!


Lesson 4: Analyzing Advertisements Have you ever tried to analyze advertisements? Perhaps you have just watched them and liked some, disliked a few, and not have any strong

opinion about the rest. Have you thought about the factors regarding why some advertisements appealed to you more than others did?

Warm-up!

With a partner, think of advertisements of two brands for the same product (e.g., a dishwashing soap by Brand A and a dishwashing soap by Brand X) using the same medium. Which one is more appealing to you? Which would be the brand you choose to buy if you were to make your decision based solely on the advertisements you watched? Why? Discuss your answer and your explanation with your partner.

Learn About It!

For businesses, an advertisement is deemed effective if it contributes to the fulfillment of the company’s objectives, one of which is an increase in sales. However, this is something that is very difficult to ascertain. This is because there are other factors that affect the sales of a product. Advertising is usually measured based on its communication effects. Factors such as preference, liking,


and purchase intention are deemed as being able to contribute to an individual’s decision to purchase the product later on. In analyzing an advertisement, you may evaluate the following factors:

a. Audience – Who is the target audience of the advertisement? Is the advertisement targeted toward a specific age group or gender?

b. Idea – What is the central idea of the advertisement? What information does it provide to the audience? Does it give enough information such as the features of the product and the benefits of using it?

c. Execution – Is the advertisement well executed? Do all the components of the advertisement contribute to its persuasiveness?

d. Persuasive techniques – What are the persuasive strategies, rhetorical devices, and advertising techniques used in the advertisement? How do these enhance or detract from the message?

e. Choice of media – Is the medium used appropriate for the product and the audience? Would it have been better if the advertiser chose a different medium?

f. Impact – Is the advertisement appealing or interesting to its target audience? As a consumer, would you be more inclined to buying the product or availing the service after seeing the advertisement?


1. Why is it difficult to ascertain the effectiveness of an advertisement? 2. What factors contribute to an individual’s decision to purchase a product?


3. Television, radio, and social networking sites are some examples of ___________. 4. The question “Is the advertisement appealing or interesting to its target audience?” is

used to analyze the ___________ of the advertisement. 5. If a product advertisement uses a local dialect yet is aired on national television, do you

think the advertisement would be effective? Why or why not?

Let’s Step Up!


Performance Task

Goal: Your task is to create an advertising campaign for a tutorial center. The goal is to increase the number of enrollees in the tutorial center’s various branches in Metro Manila. Role: You are a creative director in an advertising company. You are tasked with creating the advertising plan and presenting it to the client. Audience: The target audience include students in grade school and high school in Metro Manila as well as their parents. Situation: The challenge involves creating an engaging advertisement campaign that would convince parents to enroll their kids in the tutorial center’s programs. Product/Performance and Purpose: You will create two of the following: a storyboard (for a television advertisement), a script (for a radio advertisement), or a print advertisement (for use in flyers, newspapers, or social media). Standards and criteria for success: Your work will be judged based on the following rubric:

Criteria Beginning (0-12 points)

Developing (13-16 points)

Accomplished (17-20 points)

Score

Content (Focus on details are clearly evident; details are clearly related to the topic)

Organization (Logical progression of details; clear transitions between ideas)

Language (spelling, mechanics, grammar, and usage)

Advertising strategy


(The strategy is well thought of, and the ads use persuasive devices.)

Creative idea (The ads are memorable and catchy.)

Media (The media chosen are appropriate for the service being advertised; they reach the target audience.)

Total Score:

Self-Check: How Well Did I Learn?

Do a self-check on how well you learned the lessons in this unit. Place a checkmark in the appropriate box.

Skills I think I need more

practice and assistance

I am familiar and can perform well

with minimal assistance

I am confident that I can perform this on

my own

I can state the definition and distinguish the types of advertisements.

I can identify the elements of advertisements.

I can recognize the persuasive strategies, rhetorical devices,


and advertising techniques used in advertisements. I can analyze advertisements.

Wrap Up

● An advertisement is a paid message that is created and disseminated for the purpose of promoting a product, an idea, or a service.

● Various forms of mass communication make it possible for advertisements to reach people. These media include television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.

● Elements taken into account in the creation of an advertisement include the advertising strategy, creative idea, creative execution, and creative media use.

● Persuasive strategies such as logos, ethos, and pathos are used in advertisements. Rhetorical devices such as rhyme, hyperbole, metaphor, and pun may also make ads more interesting. Other advertising techniques include testimonials, comparison of products, product characters, slogans, and attention-getting headlines.

● In analyzing an advertisement, one must take a look at the audience, idea, execution, persuasive techniques, choice of media, and the impact of the advertisement.

Bibliography

Berger, Arthur Asa. 2017. Applied Discourse Analysis: Popular Culture, Media, and Everyday Life. San Francisco, CA: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dowdy, Joanne Kilgour and Yang Gao. 2017. Pump It Up: Literacy Activities for the Classroom.

Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Moriarty, Sandra, Nancy D. Mitchell, William D. Wells, Robert Crawford, Linda Brennan, and

Ruth Spence-Stone. 2015. Advertising: Principles and Practice. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Pearson Australia.


Mortensen, Kurt W. 2014. Maximum Influence: The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion. New

York, NY: Amacom. Wyrick, Jean. 2016. Steps to Writing Well with Additional Readings. 10th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage

Learning.


Documents

Grade 10 Unit 6: Advertisements as a Form of Persuasion