Kellogg Special K Ads - Lesson

Lesson Plan

Level(s): Grades 9 - 12

Author: MediaSmarts

Overview

This lesson helps students understand the relationship between body image and marketing by exploring the Kellogg's Special K "look good on your own terms" advertising campaign. Students begin by reading about this award-winning, controversial campaign which uses humour to skewer traditional advertising stereotypes about thinness. Students will deconstruct a series of Special K ads and discuss how marketers target "ideal beauty" messages to both men and women. Students will also look at the differences between the different marketing campaigns for Special K that have been used with Canadian and American women.

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate:

• awareness of the media's role in promoting unattainable standards of attractiveness
• understanding of the role played by target audiences in the creation of advertising campaigns
• awareness of body image as an issue that affects both men and women

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) is available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.

Lesson Kit:

Lesson_Special_K_Ads.pdf