Understanding Online Advertising: Teacher Material
Explain to students: To help you understand how companies advertise products to kids on the Internet, we are going to play a game where you help a cereal mascot – Co-Co – build a perfect website that kids will want to visit.
Have students play the game in the student chapter Co-Co’s Adversmarts, or play it together with the class using a digital projector or digital whiteboard.
After students have completed the game, assure them that there is nothing wrong with playing on commercial sites, but explain that it’s important to recognize the sites for what they are: online commercials. Remind students that they must be careful to protect their personal information and to avoid falling for gimmicks that are used to collect information.
In Co-Co’s AdverSmarts, students learn about the following marketing strategies (or gimmicks):
- Words and graphics that give the impression that the location of the website is a faraway, special place.
- Words like ‘my’ and the ability to create customized content to give the impression that the website is your own personal space.
- Words and graphics that give the impression that you are about to start on a great adventure.
- “Weasel words” that sound important but can be misleading.
- Engaging cartoon spokescharacters.
- Gimmicks such as videos, quizzes, games, memberships and clubs
Based on your preference, you may lead the discussions below after students have played through the game, or have students pause for discussion after completing each step.
Step 1: Picking a theme for the website
Ask students:
- Which theme did you pick for Co-Co’s new website?
- What types of images come to mind when you hear a name for a website that includes the words world, my and quest in the title?
- What types of activities would you expect on a website like this?
- Have you ever been on a website that has a name similar to Magic Land, My Fun Zone or Castle Quest?
Step 2: Picking a catchy phrase
Explain to students that by law advertisers must tell the truth, but sometimes they use words that can mislead viewers. We sometimes call these “weasel words” because they sound like they mean more than what they actually say such as “the fruity smell of this nutritious breakfast.”
Ask students:
- How are the following phrases from the game misleading?
- New and improved super crunch
- The taste of real chocolate
- One great tasty crunch
- Can you think of other examples of weasel words? (Make a list on the board. Examples may include words or phrases such as: Raisin Bran’s “Two scoops of raisins in every bowl” (how big are the scoops?); Lucky Charms’ “Magically delicious” (so what does it really taste like?); Trix yogurt’s “Two fruity colours” (how can colours be fruity?); and Lego’s “It’s a new toy every day” (actually, it’s the same toy).
Have students access the student chapter Spot the Weasel Words and find the twelve weasel words and phrases.
Ask them why the ones that weren’t mentioned in the game or your discussion so far count as “weasel words”:
- “Great” and “premium” don’t really mean anything
- Any product can be called “natural”
- Saying that something is “crunchy” or “juicy” doesn’t tell you whether it’s any good or not
- You can say something is “part of” a full breakfast if it has any nutrition at all
- A product can “fight” something like cavities or bad breath if it does anything at all
- Something that lasts “up to” a certain time might last much less time!
- Companies have to show that their product really is better than others to say that, but if it’s pretty much the same as competing products they can say it’s the “best”.
Step 3: Choosing a spokescharacter
Spokescharacters are effective when children recognize them from other media such as television, games, movies, toys and packaging; but they are even more appealing when kids can play and interact with them in online activities and games.
Children need to remember that although they appear friendly, these characters are really not their friends – they are salespeople who are trying to sell a product.
Ask students:
- Why might cereal companies create spokescharacters like Cap’n Crunch or Toucan Sam?
- What are some other examples of spokescharacters? What do you like about them?
- Have you ever wanted to try a product because you liked the spokescharacter?
- Have you ever been on a website where you could play with a product or its spokescharacter? What types of games and activities could you do?
- How do they make characters seem like they’re your friends?
- Do the characters ever act like they have feelings? Have you ever seen one who seemed like they were sad or happy because of something you did? Or something you didn’t do?
Step 4: Selecting activities for visitors
“Create-Your-Own” Activities
On many branded websites kids are able to customize their experience by creating their own characters or products, their own spaces in an online community or even design accessories for the product. Create-your-own activities encourage extended interaction with a brand, create a sense of ownership and control and allow children the opportunity to play with the product in new and creative ways.
Additionally, kids are often encouraged to share their creations with others, increasing the chances of positive word-of-mouth promotion.
Ask students:
- Have you ever been on a site where you could make your own space, like decorating your own house or room? If so, what type of site was it? What did you get to do?
- If you were making a website for kids, what kinds of things would you let them do to make their own special places?
- What other kinds of “do-it-yourself” activities can you do (this might include things like dressing up or getting extra things for your avatar). Do you have to do anything extra to do this?
Words or phrases that let advertisers suggest things they can't legally say.