Classroom Techniques to Evaluate Advertising in Magazines.

N

12

Advertising; Attitude Change; Behavior Change; Behavior Theories; English Instruction; Evaluative Thinking; Learning Activities; Periodicals; Publicize; Teaching Methods

Teachers should understand how the persuasive process employed by advertisers affects consumers' cognitive responses. They should also be aware of the purposes and techniques employed by the American consumer movement, which is attempting to augment the rights and power of buyers in relation to sellers. Since a review of the current rights of buyers and sellers suggests that the balance of power lies with the seller, teachers should consider ways to equalize the situation. For example, students and teachers might discuss the fact that product categories may be classified as either desirable, salutary, pleasing on a short-term basis only, or deficient. Next, students might select several ads. Since studies have shown that a person's predisposition toward a product is a good indicator of whether or not the person will buy that product, students' predispositions toward the products mentioned in their ads might be measured. If students are predisposed to buy the advertised product, and if, in addition, the product is classified as either deficient or merely immediately pleasing, students might role play a counterattitudinal advocacy situation in order to inoculate them against the advertiser's persuasion. (TS)

1975

ED106873