Marketing to Teens: Marketing Tactics Lesson Plan

Marketing & Consumerism

Level(s): Grades 8 - 12

Author: Charity Laboucan and Tracy Duncan, Planned Parenthood Edmonton, and Sonya Thompson, Film Classification Services, Alberta Community Development.

Length: 45 minutes plus time for the assignment

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & ENGAGE: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools. 

Overview

This activity helps teenagers develop an awareness of marketing tactics aimed at teens.

Learning Outcomes

Big ideas:

  • The purpose of advertising is to try to get you to like or buy something
  • Advertising uses particular tactics and appeals to persuade you
  • Advertisers use different media, approaches and tactics to reach different audiences

Learning goals:

Students will learn:

  • That teens are a very valuable audience for advertisers
  • That advertisers use different tactics to target teens
  • That advertisers “pitch” companies on the idea behind their ad campaigns

Students will be able to:

  • Identify advertising tactics
  • Identify how ads appeal to teens
  • “Pitch” an idea for an advertising campaign
  • Use advertising tactics in their own work

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

Lesson Kit