Creating a Commercial Project!

Hello Everyone!

We have been talking a lot about media literacy, with a focus on how advertisers and those who produce media use specific strategies, gimmicks, or tools to get our attention and sell products to us.

Using these tricks, I would like you to create a product and sell it to us through an in-person commercial in front of the class.

What are you making?

With a partner or individually you will make a product and then figure out a way to sell it to us in a short, live commercial in front of the class.

The product needs to be an actual object, not a service you are trying to sell.

You need to use specific strategies we have discussed (found in your journal or binder) to create a compelling commercial that makes us want to buy your product.

What are the steps?

  1. Brainstorm in your journal what your product will be.
  2.  Using the applied design process, you will draw a picture of your planned product first, so you have a plan in mind. Decide what materials would be needed and make a list in your journal. I would like to see this as part of the project, so I can see your planning process.
  3. Discuss what you will do to package or present the product so it is appealing. Think back to our notes about the cereal box or to other advertisements and packaging you have seen.
  4. Decide who your audience is? How will you appeal to that specific audience? Will your audience really want the product?
  5.  Build a prototype of the product along with its packaging.
  6. Give the product a name, and then decide what the slogan or gimmick might be for selling it.
  7. Write a script for the commercial. If you are working with a partner, both of you need a speaking role. The commercial can be a direct sell to the audience, or it could be a skit. Think about other commercials you have seen for ideas. The script should be no more than 2 minutes long.
  8. What other things will you need to set the scene? Decide if you need a costume while you are doing the commercial. Do you need any props to help you create the setting where the product is used? Do you need anything in the background that can be hung up on the board?
  9. Practice presenting. You need to rehearse before doing it in front of the class. It would be helpful to memorize your lines, as reading a script for a commercial won’t be as effective.

What does Ms. D expect?

  • I can create a product by myself or with a partner using the applied design planning process.
  • I can work collaboratively with others if needed to produce a project.
  • I can present my ideas clearly to an audience using appropriate volume, enunciation, tone, expression, and pace.
  • I can create a commercial script that incorporates thinking about how advertisers sell things to their audience, including some specific wording from the resources Ms. D provided about how people sell products (see your binder.)
  • I can create a commercial and product that incorporates thinking about how advertisers use a brand name, slogan, packaging, and other gimmicks to sell a product.
  • I can explain who my audience was for the commercial, as well as how knowing my audience influenced my design choices for the product.

When is it due?  March 10th at the latest.

Have fun working on this project!