This lesson introduces students to the ways in which advertisers use mascots to make consumers feel a particular way about their brands. Working from ads taken from different media, students discuss how food ad mascots are created and for what purpose. Students then will create their own mascot to help understand how mascots communicate the “personality” of a brand.

Studies have found that fast-food ads dominate children’s programming. In order to give children a perspective on the lure of snack-food advertisements, it’s important that they understand where snacks can fit into a healthy diet. Once they have an understanding of where snack food fits into their lives, they can begin to deconstruct the ads themselves.