Create an Advertisement Campaign, with Poster, Copy, and Spokesperson
We're bombarded daily by advertisements for all manner of things - products, services, movies, politicians. Students are surely familiar with these ads, so why not have them create their own as a performance assessment?
I first thought of using this project in the context of 19th century American history. We were studying reform movements (abolitionism, women's rights, etc), and I wanted a good project for the students. I decided to have them create an ad campaign for one of the given reform movements.
This could be useful in other contexts as well. English students could create an ad campaign for a book or a drama. Science or math students might choose an item that displays a mathematical or scientific concept, and create an ad campaign around that.
Project Requirements - What the Students Do
For the project, the students are going to do three things. Each one taps into a slightly different set of skills and intelligences.
Example of an advertisement poster. This was created by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930's. Source: Library of Congress.
First, the student needs to create a visual piece for the ad campaign. Typically this would be a poster or magazine ad. It could also be a book cover or the product packaging itself.
This visual component should accomplish two things. It should attract the viewer's attention. It should also convey the basic topic and some information about the ad campaign.
Second, the student needs to create some ad copy - in other words, write something. A simple example would be a pamphlet about the topic. The student could also write the copy for a radio advertisement, the script for a commercial, the text of a public speech, or something along those lines.
In the ad copy, the student should make an argument for his or her campaign. Why should I like your product or oganization? Why should I care? For example, an ad campaign on abolitionism might include a short pamphlet arguing why people should oppose slavery.
Third, the student needs to find or create a spokesperson for the ad campaign. What historical or fictional person best epitomizes the core of your campaign? To extend the abolitionism example, the student could use Frederick Douglass.
In this component, the student should write a short description of the spokesperson and explain why he or she is a good spokesperson for the given product or association. Imagine that the spokesperson is delivering the ad copy from the second portion - why is this person a good choice?
Goals of the Project
This project is designed to appeal to a variety of intelligences. Artistic students can excel with the visual component, while other students might excel in creating the ad copy.
There is also an element of choice built into it. If a student doesn't like writing pamphlets (more or less an expository essay), he or she can opt for a more creative choice - like the radio spot.
You may also consider combining the first and second provisions. For example, if a student (or group of students) want to film or act out a television commercial, this would count as a visual and some written copy.
Assessing the Product
So how do you assess this project? Well, that's up to you.
Before the students start, you should set your own requirements for each component. For example, you might want to set a specific length for the description of the spokesperson. You might also want to set parameters for the ad copy - i.e. a 1 page pamphlet, a 30 second radio spot, etc.
Next, tell the students what they need to contain. You might want your English students to demonstrate one theme of the book. Or you might want them to identify a certain number of character traits when identifying the spokesperson.
In general, your rubric should contain a few areas.
- Creativity
- Evidence of Research/Content Knowledge
- Effectiveness as an Advertisement
- Neatness, Professionalism, and Presentation
Using your own requirements, you can tailor the rubric to your own needs and give it to the students when they begin working.
Creating an ad campaign is a great example of an authentic performance assessment. It's something students know about, and it's something they might do when they get into the working world. It's something they ought to try doing in class, too.
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