What Is it All About?
Working in both small and large groups, students review food and beverage advertisements and identify persuasive techniques used by the food industry to sell a product. Then students turn them upside down and use the same techniques for healthier food and drinks.
Why Do It?
Exploring different persuasive techniques that the food industry uses to get you to buy their food and beverage products helps you make better food choices. You can also use the same techniques to promote healthier food and drinks.
How Do We Do It?
Working in a large group, students brainstorm persuasive techniques used by the food industry. Examples:
- Celebrity endorsement
- Using words such as “free”
- Misleading nutrition claims ("cholesterol free", "low in sugar", "lower in sodium")
- Idealized body images
- Use of brand-name items in movies or television shows
- The appearance of a product being the “in” thing
Divide students into small groups of 3–4. Provide small groups with different print advertisements for food and drinks, and have students identify:
- what the advertisement is for,
- who the target audience is,
- what persuasive techniques are used, and
- whether they believe the techniques are effective and why.
- Have groups share their responses with the larger group.
Continuing their work in small groups, students brainstorm how these advertisements can be evaluated so they can make healthier choices. Examples:
- Critically examining the plausibility of the claim
- Checking whether the advertisement contains information that verifies the claim
- Critically examining the reasons ads use celebrity endorsements
- Asking for information about product ingredients
Students work in their small groups to create an advertisement for a healthy food or drink, using some of the same persuasive techniques discussed throughout the activity.
Display advertisements and have students complete a Gallery Walk, viewing all advertisements as they walk throughout the room.
What Else Do We Need?
- Magazines
- Marketing to Kids (M2K) resources
- Paper, pens, markers
- Television or Internet videos of advertisements
How Do We Get Creative?
Display new, healthier advertisements around the school.