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Joyce Valenza

Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
February 3, 2008

The big game is just over, but the ads live on. The good news is that we can exploit these brief media messages for their learning potential.

For the past couple of years, our teachers have been using media educator Frank Baker's wonderful site, Using Super Bowl Ads in the Classroom. I suspect many of your favorite teachers will want to also.

Baker's lesson plan includes questions to consider after the game:

1. What ad(s) did you find most entertaining, and why?
(students should be specific and give details here)
2. What ad(s) did you find the most dull, and why?
3. Which ad(s) did you think were most effective, and why?
4. Which ad(s) were you most willing to share (email) with a friend?
5. Which ad(s) featured well-known personalities? Why?
6. Which “techniques of persuasion” were used in each ad?
(teachers might want to print out a list and have students match the ads with those on the list)
7. Calculate the total cost to the TV network if each ad costs an estimated $2.7 million.
8. How do Super Bowl advertisers get mileage for their message after the game is over?

Baker includes a group of excellent media literacy resources, news articles, statistics and graphs, as well as a number of portals (not likely to be blocked) for viewing the ads over and over again.

Posted by Joyce Valenza on February 3, 2008 | Comments (5)

February 5, 2008
In response to: Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
Emily V commented:

This would be a great tie-in with the artwork of Barbara Kruger in an art curriculum! I love getting students to think critically about the media are bombarded by. Great idea.

February 18, 2008
In response to: Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
Amanda A commented:

I think that making students use their critical thinking skills and analyze the commercials that they see everyday is a great idea. So many students do not have the attention span to focus on a lecture, so by making students watch these advertisements and critically think about what they are seeing will help them understand the concepts, rather than memorizing statistics and not being able to apply them. I also like the idea of making the students calculate the costs of the advertisements because this is “real world” math that the students will use throughout their life. I think that this lesson plan would have a greater impact on the students because they are actively participating, discussing ideas, conducting calculations and critically thinking while doing something they enjoy!

February 18, 2008
In response to: Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
Janell B commented:

I think that this is a fun and interesting approach to teaching students about the tools of persuasion in advertising. I beleive that it is good for students to be able to sit and enjoy the commercials and be able to identify the different parts of it. In high school, the teacher in my small business class had us do this activity and it was very interesting to be a part of. Good idea.

February 25, 2008
In response to: Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
Tabitha F commented:

Wow! What a great idea! I am still going to school to be a teacher, and I can say as a student, I LOVE to learn with exciting and fun platforms...Because the attention span of average students (and less for me) is about twenty minutes, this would be a great way to cut to the chase and have everyone enjoy their involvement! Like Amanda A. mentioned, this is a perfect way to help develop critical thinking skills, only the students won't know that is what you are doing! The idea of Super Bowl Ads in the classroom is very refreshing, and can lend itself, hopefully, to more exciting use of current happenings and technology in the classroon!

February 25, 2008
In response to: Super Bowl--Exploiting the Ads
Brett S commented:

That sounds like a great way to tie in technology and a good critical thinking exercise into any classroom.