ADVERTISING UNIT

Mr. Steel

 

            In this unit of study, students will learn about the relationship between the medium through which messages and communications are transmitted, and these messages themselves. Students will learn about various communication techniques and strategies that are used in the worlds of marketing, mass media, and advertising. It is hoped that students will develop greater analytic abilities and media literacy through our critical study of advertising – referred to by Marshall McLuhan as "the greatest art form of the 20th century," but also what George Orwell has referred to as "rattling a stick inside a swill bucket."

 

WORK AND ASSESSMENT

            During this unit of study, all students will be required to listen to ten episodes of Terry O'Reilly's CBC radio program, O'Reilly on Advertising. Students may work individually or in groups of no more than FIVE during this unit of study. At the beginning of each period, every student group will sign out a CD copy of a broadcast from the teacher/library. This copy MUST be returned by the end of each period. Each period, for ten periods of study, student groups will ensure that they have chosen a different CD broadcast. By the end of the tenth period, every student (and every student group) will be expected to have listened to all ten episodes.

 

Minor Assignments

            Minor comprehension assignments accompany each radio broadcast, and each minor comprehension assignment must be completed by the end of each period. Any late minor comprehensions must still be submitted, but they will not be credited for completion. Make-up minors may be done from the broad selection of reading comprehension assignments available in my classroom.

 

Listening Devices

Student groups will receive credit for coming prepared as a group each day with a listening device (such as a small stereo unit of “ghetto blaster”) to share between them. On any given day that the group neglects to bring some form of listening device that they can all hear simultaneously, they will not receive credit for this portion of their minor assignment mark. (Note: it will be useful if your machine has a pause, fast-forward, and rewind function)

 

Major Assignments

            Every student must complete ONE major project/presentation that pertains to one of the ten broadcasts. Students may complete their project/presentations individually or as part of a group (No more than 5 students per group please). Each group will be assigned a “broadcast area” by the teacher. Within this “broadcast area,” students may choose from among the listed project/presentation topics. Student groups will be chosen to present by lot; student groups that are unprepared to present when selected will be penalized.

 

 


Recommended Advertising Research Websites:

 

AdAge: Top 100 Ad Campaigns

http://adage.com/century/campaigns.html

 

AdBusters

http://adbusters.org/home/

 

Ads of the World

http://adsoftheworld.com/

 

Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Advertisements

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ccmphtml/colahome.html

 

The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920 (EAA)

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/

 

Wikipedia

http://www.wikipedia.org/

 

The Museum of Broadcast Communications

http://www.museum.tv/home.php

 

AdAccess

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/

 

AdCracker

http://www.adcracker.com/index.htm

 

The Living Room Candidate

http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/

 

The Night of the Ad Eaters

http://www2.adeater.com/


O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc One: (i) When Ads Go Too Far

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. Do today's ads go too far? Why or why not? (Paragraph form)

2. Why did Disney not like Terry O'Reilly's proposed Disney Trivial Pursuit ad in the 1980's?

3. What is one of the newest forms of attention grabbers that is being incorporated into ads?

4. According to Terry O'Reilly, what do ads show us about ourselves?

5. What does Terry O'Reilly say is the one rule of "ad-creative"?

6. What was the first swear word ever broadcast (1936)?

7. What swear word began to catch hold in television programming during the 1960's in the British program, "Til Death Do Us Part" – the forerunner of "All in the Family"?

8. What 2 swear words began to appear in television programming during the 1970's?

9. Was advertising dirty at this time? Explain how your answer relates to the one rule of "ad-creative" in question 5.

10. When did mainstream advertisements become foul-mouthed? Give two major reasons why this change happened.

11. What was new about SEGA's advertising at the time?

12. Were public service advertisements (PSA's) influenced by the new media and new market?

13. Explain, by using examples, how the boundaries of decency vary from culture to culture, and from country to country.

14. What is the toughest part about trying to sell to today's younger audiences that are "media savvy"?

15. What does Terry O'Reilly say is outrageous, dangerous, or risky about the "hot sauce scream" ad?

16. How does the funeral ad use silence to catch the listener's ear? Why is this innovative?

17. Why are some advertising creators recently trying to have their commercials banned on purpose? Where did this advertising strategy become most lucrative?

18. Why is language changing in advertising?

19. What has happened to censorship since the advent of new media like digital satellite radio?

20. What does Terry O'Reilly laud about the Food.com spot?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Find and present THREE radio ads that “go too far” (Make sure you pass them by your teacher first!). Discuss the message of the advertisement, and the various techniques that are used to transmit this message effectively. Assess the value of the ad’s inappropriate content for its success? Was the inappropriate content necessary for the ad’s success, or could the message have been delivered as effectively without the inappropriate content?

 

2. Find and present THREE television ads that “go too far” (Make sure you pass them by your teacher first!). Discuss the message of the advertisement, and the various techniques that are used to transmit this message effectively. Assess the value of the ad’s inappropriate content for its success? Was the inappropriate content necessary for the ad’s success, or could the message have been delivered as effectively without the inappropriate content?

 

3. Find and present THREE print ads that “go too far” (Make sure you pass them by your teacher first!). Discuss the message of the advertisement, and the various techniques that are used to transmit this message effectively. Assess the value of the ad’s inappropriate content for its success? Was the inappropriate content necessary for the ad’s success, or could the message have been delivered as effectively without the inappropriate content?

 

4. Choose a product or service to advertise. Develop ONE own radio, television, and print ad for this product or service that “goes too far” (Make sure you pass it by your teacher first!). Present it to the class. Have the class vote on which of the three medium choices is most effective for your product or service.


O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc One: (ii) Celebrities and Advertising

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. How does Ford use the TV show "24" to sell its vehicles? Why?

2. Who created radio and television programs in the early days of these media?

3. What did stars and celebrities begin to do in the 1970's and 80's?

4. Were big name stars ever involved in advertising before the 1970's?

5. In the late 1990's and into the 21st century, what has changed about celebrity attitudes towards appearing in commercials?

6. What problem does an advertising agency face when using some funny actors in its radio advertisements?

7. What is the "Illusion of Competence," and why is it so effective in communicating advertising messages?

8. What does Terry O'Reilly say must be recognized about what stars do when they are used in advertising? (Consider his discussion of the Gilbert Godfrey example.)

9. What is parody? How can parody be used effectively in advertising?

10. What is "ad clutter"? How has it changed the way that advertising works?

11. Why was it easier to create an effective advertising message 40 years ago?

12. What happened by the 1980's and 1990's that made effective advertising much more challenging?

13. What is a "brand"? What is an "icon"? Years ago, why could advertising spend so much more time building a brand or icon?

14. Give two examples of advertising "icons".

15. How many messages do researchers say we can remember on any given day? How many do we retain in the long term? Why is this information significant to communication in advertising?

16. Why have star or celebrity "brands" become important as a means of overcoming the problems of "ad clutter"?

17. Why can hiring a celebrity to sell your product backfire? Give examples.

18. How have ads changed since the development of new technologies that allow audiences to flip past or skip ads?

19. What does it mean to say that companies have moved away from "embedded products" towards "branded entertainment"? Explain the meaning of each of these terms as part of your answer.

20. Marshall McLuhan called advertising "the greatest art form of the 20th century." George Orwell, by contrast, compared advertising to "rattling a stick inside a swill bucket." Discuss in detail the point that each author is trying to make, and where you stand in relation to their views. (Paragraph form)

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Find and present THREE ads that make use of “the illusion of competence.” Rank these ads in order of effectiveness. Provide sound reasoning for your judgements. Create your own ad (either print, radio, or TV) that utilizes "the illusion of competence." Present it to the class.

 

2. Choose a real-life product or service and research the development of its brand name or its icon. Who originally conceived of the idea for the brand or icon? What steps were taken in its development? How successfully has the brand or icon been implemented? Has the brand or icon changed over the years to suit new social norms and attitudes? If so, explain how? Present your research to the class.

 

3. Find FIVE examples of stars or celebrities lending their own brands to a product in some form of advertising (print, radio, or television). At least ONE of these examples ought to demonstrate how celebrity advertising can occasionally fail. Present these ads to the class and provide your own analysis of their effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

 

4. Using real advertisements as examples, demonstrate how advertisers have moved over time from "hard sell" messages towards the concept of "ad-entertainment." Provide TWO examples of older, traditional advertising, and TWO examples of "ad-entertainment." Provide your own account of why this change has occurred.

 

5. Create your own star or celebrity advertisement. Choose a real product or service, or invent one, and decide what star would be the most effective salesperson for it. Develop a radio script (or storyboard if it is a television ad), and present your ad to the class. Be prepared to account for your choice of celebrities, potential costs and return on investment, as well as your choices in the script or storyboard, and how these choices combine to create an effective ad campaign.

 

6. Read the MacLean's article on celebrity advertising and perform your own research to assess the relative truth of the article's claim that celebrity endorsements are losing their appeal. Look for recent studies that examine this ostensible shift in marketing success. Find examples of ads that fail when stars are product spokespeople. Find examples of ads that outperform celebrity endorsements using the "keeping up with the Joneses" approach. Present your work to the class.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Two: (i) The Science of Advertising

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What is the difference between an art and a science? Is advertising an art or a science? (Paragraph form)

2. David Ogilvy has said that the rule for radio advertising is, "Mention the product early and mention it often." Do you agree? Why or why not? (Paragraph form)

3. What does the Heineken commercial suggest about Ogilvy's rule about radio advertising? Why?

4. What is "target marketing," and what did Nathan Fowler suggest about effective advertising in 1891?

5. By the end of the 1930's, what metaphor was applied to advertising? Explain.

6. Who was George Gallup, and what contribution did he make to communicating effective advertising messages?

7. How does the failure of the Ford Edsel demonstrate the limitations of advertising as a "science"?

8. According to Terry O'Reilly, what was generally missing from advertising until the 1960's?

9. What form of advertising is the subject of Wilson Bryan Key's book? Explain.

10. What is the point of mnemonic devices such as NBC's 3 tone chime?

11. Why does Terry O'Reilly favour radio advertising over other forms?

12. Why are Calgary, AB and London, ON the "darlings" of market research?

13. According to Terry O'Reilly, is research important for good advertising? What must accompany this research in order to make an ad effective?

14. What is a "focus group," and what is suggested about the limits of focus group market research? (Use the Fibreglass Pink campaign as an example.)

15. What does the Ray-Ban sunglasses ad suggest about the importance of packing as many words, facts, and product name placements into an ad in order to sell your product?

16. How can storytelling be used to sell a product effectively? (Use the example of the gas station squeegee and lipstick ad, or the Prego restaurant ad to bolster your explanation.)

17. What is meant by the old saying, "People don't buy ¾ inch drill bits; they buy ¾ inch holes"?

18. Why is a good ad not an "interruption," but an "engagement"?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Research the life and work of David Ogilvy. What were his contributions to the field of advertising? Find out what he has written, and seek out famous quotes from Ogilvy about communication. Find examples of some of his advertisement achievements (ex. consult Ad Age magazine's top 100 ad campaigns at http://adage.com/century/campaigns.html). Present these examples to the class and discuss why each has been recognized as one of the most effective ad messages in advertising history.

 

2. Research the contributions of Nathan Fowler and his concept of "target marketing." Who was Nathan Fowler? What is target marketing? How is it used in advertising, and in other areas of communication? Find TWO real-life examples of advertising that makes use of "target marketing," and explain how each ad adopts this concept. Develop your own advertising message using "target marketing" for a real-life (or imagined) product. Present your work to the class.

 

3. Research the life and accomplishments of George Gallup. In your presentation, discuss how Gallup's work has changed communication and research in a variety of areas, including politics, social science, and, most pertinently, market research. Find and present some examples of Gallup's work as it has been applied to various advertising campaigns and the development of well-researched marketing messages.

 

4. Perform research about the great marketing debacle of the Ford Edsel. Examine how the "science" of advertising, in this case, failed to bear fruit for the Ford Motor Company. Consider to what extent this demonstrates the frailties of advertising as a "science," and to what extent it illustrates that advertising may be more of an "art."

 

5. Collect historical and contemporary advertisements in a variety of media (print, radio, TV) that illustrate the shift in emphasis and recognition of the importance of intuition and creativity in advertising that began in the 1960's. In order to do this effectively, you will need to provide a few examples of pre-1960 ads, and then show how "ad-creative" has developed through each of the decades since. (One ad per decade ought to suffice.)

 

6. Learn all you can about the theories of Wilson Bryan Key. Pay particular attention to how these theories are developed in his book, Subliminal Seduction: Ad Media's Manipulation of a Not So Innocent America (1973). Teach the class about the theory of subliminal messaging in advertising, as well as in any other area of human endeavour (such as war, romance, or politics). Is there any evidence that such methods are being used in advertising? If so, provide some examples. Is there evidence that such methods are effective? Discuss whether or not you think that subliminal advertising is actually being used effectively, or if it is perhaps more like a conspiracy theory.

 

7. What is a mnemonic device? Teach the class about the utility of such devices in everyday life. Provide some non-advertising examples of mnemonic devices to illustrate your point. Research the manner in which mnemonic devices are used in advertising messages. Provide and explain THREE examples of such devices as they appear in advertising. Make a case for the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of mnemonic devices in advertising.

 

8. Investigate why Calgary has become the "darling" of market research in Canada. Contact a local marketing firm and ask them about the merits of Calgary over other locales for such research. What sorts of advertisements, products, and services are test-marketed in Calgary before they are unleashed nationally, and why? See if the marketing firm will provide you with specific examples of products, services, or ad campaigns that it has developed using Calgary as a testing ground.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Two: (ii) David and Goliath Ad Stories

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What is the first step to making a good ad, according to Terry O'Reilly?

2. What advertising invention was created very cheaply by Burma-Shave?

3. How did the 1960's change billboard advertising?

4. Explain the reasoning behind the advertising rule, "Don't have clients voice their own ads." Why did Terry O'Reilly's company choose to break this rule with its First Canadian Place campaign (2 reasons)?

5. Why are "first impressions" key in advertising? What are used to test "first impressions"?

6. What are the limits of focus groups?

7. Why does Terry O'Reilly think that radio is a better medium than TV for "Davids" in the advertising world?

8. How did Richard Fast, the creator of Mind Trap, get his product into the big stores? How does this demonstrate the truth of Terry O'Reilly's claim in question 7?

9. What are modern advertisers and companies pressured to get with their advertising investments?

10. What are the benefits of "stick-with-it-ness," according to Terry O'Reilly? (Use the Motel 6 advertisement campaign as an example to bolster your explanation.)

11. What does the "Puck Sandwich" campaign for the Hockey Hall of Fame show about the importance of creative intuition in the development of a good advertisement?

12. What "hidden truth" did Terry O'Reilly discover about the Toronto Symphony, and how did his company use this hidden truth effectively to sell tickets to the symphony?

13. What is an "underdog"? Why do people have a natural affinity for underdogs?

14. What advantage do the "Davids" of advertising have over the Goliaths? What forces work against the success of Davids in advertising?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Investigate the Burma-Shave sign campaign. What was the Burma-Shave product line? How large or small was the company? What were their signs like? Discuss some examples, and create some of your own as well. Why were these signs so effective? How prolific were these signs, and where were they strategically placed? Why was the campaign ended? Would such a campaign have similar success today? Why or why not? Present your findings to the class.

 

2. Explain the David and Goliath metaphor that is adopted by Terry O'Reilly. Research a "David" story in advertising. What makes this company a "David"? How did this company use advertising effectively to communicate its message and to win increased market share? Develop a presentation that provides information about the company you are researching, as well as the ad campaign that enabled it to prevail as an underdog in a world of "Goliaths."

 

3. What is "stick-with-it-ness"? Teach the class about the importance of "stick-with-it-ness" in advertising. Research an advertising campaign that exhibits "stick-with-it-ness," and contrast it with one that does not. Is "stick-with-it-ness" necessary in advertising, or is it possible to advertise effectively without this quality?

 

4. Create your own "David" campaign for a product or service that real or imagined. (Remember: if you choose a real product, it must be an underdog and not a market leader!) Your ad campaign must include a series of at least FIVE advertisements. You must present a budget for your campaign that can not exceed $100 000. When you present your ad campaign to the class, be sure to provide the reasons for your marketing and advertising choices.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Three: (i) From Suits to Nuts: The Sparhawk Beer Story

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What is an "advertising brief," and what are its three components?

2. Who is the client in the Sparhawk Beer Campaign?

3. What does the client need during this campaign? (What is the client's goal?)

4. What is a common problem with most radio ads, according to Terry O'Reilly?

5. How does Terry O'Reilly say that this common problem can be solved?

6. Why was the Budweiser "Real Men of Genius" campaign so successful?

7. What was the biggest challenge for the Sparhawk Brewery?

8. Why does great "ad creative" always involve calculated risk?

9. What is "tone," and why is it an important component of any advertisement?

10. What tone was adopted in the Sparhawk ad campaign?

11. What is unusual or unorthodox about the Sparhawk ad campaign?

12. What was the central problem identified by the client for the Sparhawk campaign?

13. What was "the code"?

14. Put the following steps of development and presentation of the Sparhawk campaign in the correct order (designate the order by placing numbers 1 through 4 in the blanks):

______ Introduce Solution: "The Code"

______ Decoy spots

______ Set tone

______ Establish problem

15. Why did the underdog Sparhawk radio campaign work?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Create an advertising campaign for a real or imagined product or service. Submit your advertising plan in the form of a brief that exhibits all three of the necessary brief components. Present your campaign to the class. Be sure to include at least 5 spots in your advertising campaign.

 

2. Attempt to devise an ad campaign for a real or imagined product or service that makes no mention of the product name. How could you still promote your product effectively? Your ad campaign ought to include at least FIVE spots. Present it to the class.

 

3. Do some community research to find out how much it costs to develop and launch a standard ad campaign over the radio, in print, or on television. Approach a local Chestermere or Calgary ad firm and ask them if they would be willing to discuss how one of their particularly interesting ad campaigns was developed. What kind of work is involved? How much creativity is permitted in the ad business? How much room is there for innovation? How much of the work is research driven? What is it like to work in advertising?

 

4. What is tone? Find FOUR different ads that have FOUR different kinds of tone. Present them to the class. What tone is used in each, and why were these tones chosen for each ad? Provide in-depth analysis of the choice of tone in each advertisement, and then consider whether or not the tone is appropriate. Could the ads have been more effective with a change of tone?

 

5. Find THREE examples of annoying ads. Present them to the class. Discuss what is annoying about each ad, and how Terry O’Reilly’s insights can help us to understand these weaknesses. Develop a new, improved ad campaign for any ONE of these products or services that overcomes the weaknesses of the annoying version.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Three: (ii) The Five Men Who Invented My Job

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. Why does Terry O'Reilly describe broadcast advertising in 1955 as a "wasteland"?

2. Who were Bob and Ray, and what was there main contribution to advertising? (Paragraph form)

3. What is meant by the term, "hard sell," and why was Stan Freberg critical of this tradition of advertising?

4. Explain how Freberg's famous "Truth in Advertising" approach worked. Use the Chung King Chow Mein campaign as an illustrative example. (Paragraph form)

5. What two reasons does Terry O'Reilly provide for lauding Stan Freberg's innovative advertising?

6. How do you know when you have a "big idea" in advertising, according to the illustrative example of the cardboard handles on the sides of the Chung King Chow Mein can?

7. Why, according to Freberg, is radio the most powerful medium for advertising? (Use his example of the giant sundae to illustrate your explanation).

8. In his spots promoting radio as an effective medium for advertising, what reason does Freberg offer for why people listen to radio commercials more than those found on television?

9. What important radio concept was developed by Chuck Blore? Describe how this worked.

10. What innovation is Chuck Blore best known for? What is considered to be the achievement of his sort of advertisement?

11. For what long running radio series is Dick Orkin most well-known?

12. What major contribution did Dick Orkin make to radio advertising?

13. Explain what Terry O'Reilly means when he says that Bob and Ray, Stan Freberg, Chuck Blore, and Dick Orkin were "ad outsiders" who fixed the language of advertising.

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Research the lives and achievements of Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding. Play an excerpt from the repertoire of Bob and Ray for the class available online. Explain how Bob and Ray were “ad outsiders.” Teach the class how Bob and Ray influenced both broadcasting and advertising.

 

2. Research the life and achievements of Stan Freberg. Play an excerpt from the repertoire of Stan Freberg for the class available online. Explain how Stan Freberg was an “ad outsider.” Teach the class how Stan Freberg influenced both broadcasting and advertising.

 

3. Research the life and achievements of Chuck Blore. Play an excerpt from the repertoire of Chuck Blore for the class available online. Explain how Chuck Blore was an “ad outsider.” Teach the class how Chuck Blore influenced both broadcasting and advertising.

 

4. Research the life and achievements of Dick Orkin. Play an excerpt from the repertoire of Dick Orkin for the class available online (ex., see his Radio Ranch website). Explain how Dick Orkin was an “ad outsider.” Teach the class how Dick Orkin influenced both broadcasting and advertising.

 


O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Four: (i) The Wrath of Cannes

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What, according to Terry O'Reilly, is the most prestigious advertising award?

2. What did Oscar Wilde mean when he said, "Sorry I wrote you such a long letter. I didn't have time to write you a short one"? How does Terry O'Reilly relate this quotation to understanding advertising messages?

3. Why was the race track radio advertisement able to win a Lion? (What was so effective about it?)

4. What is the most awarded radio campaign in history? Why?

5. What was Terry O'Reilly's case for the German Bayer-Aspirin ad?

6. What is the "hook and reveal strategy," and how does the Bronze Lion Award-winning M-Net ad from South Africa use it effectively?

7. What radio campaign won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2005?

8. What does Terry O'Reilly view as "the shift" in advertising at Cannes?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Investigate the Budweiser “Real Men of Genius” ad campaign. Play some of the ads for the class and discuss with the class why this campaign has been the most awarded series in advertising history. Research what other advertising agencies and award bodies have said about this campaign. Develop your own Budweiser “Real Men of Genius” ad that follows the original ad template.

 

2. Research THREE Lion winning entries at the Cannes Advertising Festival. Try to find copies of these advertisements, and present each to the class. Discuss their merits as effective advertisements (i.e.: What stands out about these ads?). What have advertising award bodies and/or other ad agencies said about the merits of these ads specifically?

 

3. Find FIVE ads from non-English sources that are still effective for English-speaking audiences. Explain how it is possible for the message in these ads to be effective across language barriers. Present your arguments for each advertisement to the class.

 

4. Conduct research to verify or negate the validity of Terry O'Reilly's claim that there has recently been a shift in advertising away from television towards radio. Can you find any "hard data" to support this claim? What might account for this shift anecdotally? Examine the merits of radio ad-messaging over television in today's competitive, ad-cluttered market. Are there other mediums that also challenge the primacy of television advertising? Identify them, and explain their potency by way of example.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Four: (ii) Humour in Ads

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. Who was Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, and why is he significant? Why, according to Terry O'Reilly, did Fessenden never receive credit for his achievements?

2. What ad problem does the Oscar-Mayer fat-free ham commercial parody?

3. Why is humour important in ads? (4 reasons)

4. Why did it take so long for comedy to appear in advertising? (Why did advertising remain serious for so long?)

5. Why is the Washington Apple spot funny?

6. Why is "reaction" important in comedy?

7. Terry O'Reilly says that the key to humour in a "comedy duo" is "the straight man." What is a straight man, and why are straight men so important? Why is the comedy duo an effective organizing principle in radio advertisement?

8. What is "tone," and why is it important in advertising?

9. Why was the tone effective in the Chevy's commercial?

10. What is "broad humour"? Provide an illustrative example.

11. Why does Terry O'Reilly say that broad humour is good for short campaigns but inappropriate for longer ones?

12. What is "small humour"? Provide an illustrative example.

13. Why does Terry O'Reilly say that small humour is good for longer campaigns, but inappropriate for shorter ones?

14. Why is small humour hard to sell to a client?

15. What makes the "E-Campus.com" ad so effective?

16. Explain what Terry O'Reilly means when he says that "an advertisement that reaches you with the right humour and tone may charm you into listening and a positive impression might, in time, affect your feeling abut a product."

17. What is meant by the term, "happy association"?

18. Why is the Mercedes Benz ad effective, according to Terry O'Reilly?

19. Why does Terry O'Reilly think the "Clutch Doctor" campaign is an excellent example of "small humour"?

20. How can being "inappropriate" in advertising be effective? Use the diarrhoea ad as an illustrative example.

21. Is humour enough to sell a product in advertising? Explain in paragraph form.

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Research the life and achievements of Reginald Aubrey Fessenden. How did Fessenden's achievements contribute to improvements in media and communication? Why do you think that Fessenden's achievements have been largely unrecognized? Present your findings to the class.

 

2. Present TWO examples of ad campaigns that suffer from the problem identified by Terry O'Reilly in Reading Comprehension question #2. Explain to the class how this problem is manifest in each ad; then re-write the ad and present it in an improved form so that the ad message is more effective. Explain how your re-write is an improvement on the original, and how it overcomes the problems identified by Terry O'Reilly.

 

3. Create and present a short comic sketch radio ad for a real or imagined product or service that uses the "comedy duo" approach. Explain to your audience why the comedy duo approach is particularly well-suited to radio. Be sure to incorporate the "straight man" element into your work.

 

4. Find and explain TWO examples of "broad humour" in real advertisements. Teach the class about broad humour. What is it? When is it useful? What are its limitations? Write and present your own advertisement that utilizes broad humour.

 

5. Find and explain TWO examples of "small humour" in real advertisements. Teach the class about small humour. What is it? When is it useful? What are its limitations? Write and present your own advertisement that utilizes small humour.

 

6. Research the life and achievements of William Bernbach. What contributions has Bernbach made to the field of advertising and effective communication? Discuss some of Bernbach's theories on advertising. Find examples of Bernbach's advertising work and present them to the class with analysis.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Five: (i) The PSA: Yes Virginia, Advertising Does Have a Heart

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What are PSA's? What is the purpose of a PSA?

2. Why does Terry O'Reilly use the PSA format to advertise for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra?

3. What is the typical tone of a PSA? Why?

4. What is wrong with this, in Terry O'Reilly's opinion?

5. What do most PSA's do?

6. When did PSA's "hit their stride"? Why?

7. What changed about PSA's during the Cold War?

8. Why might it be a poor strategy to depress a radio audience with a PSA, according to Terry O'Reilly?

9. Why are many great PSA's not accepted for airtime? (Use the example from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to illustrate your explanation)

10. Do PSA’s stand at a disadvantage when compared to other commercial messages? Why or why not?

11. Explain Terry O’Reilly’s point about the utility of radio for developing effective PSA’s.

12. Explain why the Government of Canada’s PSA on learning to read is effective, according to Terry O’Reilly.

13. Consider a PSA you have seen on TV or heard on the radio. What made it effective or ineffective? (paragraph form)

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Research "the Crying Indian" Earth Day PSA created by the Keep America Beautiful Organization. Why is this PSA considered to be the most famous, recognizable PSA in media history? Play it for the class and discuss its merits as well as its drawbacks. Be sure to discuss the controversial figure of Iron Eyes Cody in this advertisement. Could this ad have such widespread appeal today? Why or why not?

 

2. Find samples of the famous Government of Canada PSA "Hinterland Who's Who" series. Explain the significance of these ads in relation to Canadian identity. Why were these ads so effective, and why did they have such longevity? Investigate the movement to bring this ad series back into circulation. Create your own "Hinterland Who's Who" commercial.

 

3. Find and present TWO PSAs from WWII. What message is developed in each one of these PSAs? What techniques are used, and how effectively? Discover any technical elements in these PSAs that can be found in PSA's and other forms of advertising today. Provide modern examples with explanation.

 

4. Find and present TWO PSAs from the Cold War period. What message is developed in each one of these PSAs? What techniques are used, and how effectively? By way of contrast with ads from the WWII period, discuss what changes occurred in advertising during the Cold War era. Discover any technical elements that ads from each of these time periods have in common, and elucidate the ways in which they differ in technique or content. Finally, can elements from Cold War PSAs be found in PSAs and other forms of advertising today? Provide modern examples with explanation.

 

5. Develop a presentation that deals with the challenges that PSAs have in receiving airtime. What sorts of PSAs make it to radio or television? What sorts do not? Provide examples of each with analysis. Finally, what sorts of techniques and tone make for a good PSA, according to Terry O'Reilly? What techniques and tone pose difficulties or inhibit the success of a PSA's message? Provide examples of each with analysis.
O'Reilly on Advertising

Disc Five: (ii) In Radio, You Are the Art Director

 

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

 

1. What was the first TV ad?

2. Why was this ad thought to be revolutionary?

3. Why does Terry O’Reilly disagree with the claim that TV advertising is better than radio advertising? What does he see as the merits of radio over other media?

4. Explain the merits of the Reader’s Digest rattlesnake commercial.

5. Explain Terry O’Reilly’s point in the example of “the rider.” How does this example link to his argument concerning the merits of radio for communicating messages?

6. What is “room tone” and how is it used in radio ads?

7. Explain Terry O’Reilly’s point that, despite modern computer generated imagery (CGI) technology and advanced techniques of television and cinema, there are still ads that can’t be done as well on TV as on the radio.

8. Explain the merits of the Mercedez Benz “G-forces” radio ad over TV ads.

9. Why have some sound effects lose their utility in radio ads? Provide some examples.

10. Explain why Terry O’Reilly says that contemporary radio ads are direct descendents of old radio programs.

11. Why do telephone conversations provide an excellent format for radio ads?

 


II. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT IDEAS TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP:

 

1. Who was Marshall McLuhan? Research McLuhan's theory of "hot" and "cold" media. How does it apply to radio, print, television, and the internet? What implications does McLuhan's theory have for our understanding of effective advertising and communication?

 

2. Marshall McLuhan said that advertising is the greatest artform of the 20th century. George Orwell, by contrast, said that advertising is like "rattling a stick inside a swill bucket." Divide your group into two opposing camps. One camp will offer a case for McLuhan's assessment of advertising; the other camp will defend Orwell's view. Make each of your defenses as robust and rhetorically pleasing for your audience as possible. At the end of your duel/debate, the audience will vote by majority which of the two defences was most enticing.

 

3. Present "the first television ad" ever created to the class, and tell them about why television was thought to have been such a breakthrough for advertisers. Offer an exposition of the contrary views proffered by Terry O'Reilly and Stan Freberg. Use examples from their corpus of work to help clarify your presentation. Create and present a non-visual media ad for Bulova that engages the audience more effectively than a television advertisement could.

 

4. Find and present a real radio ad that makes effective use of sound effects and "room tone." Explain for your audience how many of these sounds are created. Then create and present your own radio advertisement that effectively utilizes sound effects and "room tone" in order to engage its audience as "art directors." Explain what you are doing and the effect you are trying to achieve.

 

5. Find and present a real radio ad that makes effective use of the "telephone conversation" format. Explain why this format is particularly appropriate for the medium of radio. Then, concoct a short radio ad of your own that utilitizes the telephone conversation format, and present it to the class.