Module on Literature and Advertising

Course: Introduction to Literature across the Professions

Topic: Literature and Advertising

Focus: Writing for Advertising

Text: Writing that Sell (Chapter 4 of The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Copy That Sells)

Method: Online learning, self-paced reading, creative writing, reflection writing

Prepared by: Anne Richie Balgos, Ph.D., De La Salle University

Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, the students should have:

close read a text in advertising and discussed how it intersects with literature;
applied advertising techniques in the creation of a magazine ad for a new product; and
written a reflection paper on the importance of literature in the advertising industry.

Module for Online Session

Activity	Teacher’s Procedure or Behavior	Student’s Tasks	Online Tool Options
10 Questions	Ask students to answer 10 Questions with short responses in bullet points. Ask students to create a mindmap of their ideas. Ask students to post their output on the discussion board and comment on their classmates’ work as well.	Create a list of their short answers. Create a mindmap on advertising by using arrows, colors, shapes to connect the ideas you generated from your lust of ideas. Comment on at least one of their classmates’ outputs that resonates with them the most.	Canvas Google Classroom Blackboard
Discussion	Ask students to answer these questions through the discussion board: Do you agree that having a good product is not as important as having an eye-catching logo and a memorable slogan or catchy jingle. Why? Why not? Ask students to watch you pre-recorded lecture or instruct them to read the handout on writing a good advertisement. Ask students to create their own magazine ad for a new product. Ask students to post their output on the discussion board and comment on their classmates’ work as well.	Answer the questions and comment or add on to their classmates’ opinions. Take note of the steps in creating a good advertisement. Create a magazine ad for a new product. Take a look at their classmates output on the discussion board and comment on those that are most interesting to them.	Canvas Google Classroom Blackboard
Reflection Writing	Ask students to write a one-page reflection paper on why literature majors/creative writers matter in the advertising industry. Encourage students to watch: An adjunct explains why literature matters \| Danielle Carlotti-Smith \| TEDxUniversityofTulsa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpE8TiN8HyY	Write a reflection paper on the prompt: What are your thoughts on the statement Investing in literature is investing in humanity?	YouTube Canvas Google Classroom Blackboard

Output: Creating an Ad

Create a magazine ad for a product. Use the following information to make an ad that will reach the specific audience for your product.

Busy Moms

Kids at heart
Take kids to sports, arts, and music classes
Always rushing
The family communication hub
Pamper themselves when they can

Decide on the techniques that you will use in your ad by asking the questions:

Who is responsible for the ad?
What audience is the ad targeting?
What techniques does the ad use?
What does the ad say about the product service?
What does the ad say about people who will buy the product?

Make your ad! You may follow these steps:

Know your prospects by asking these questions:
What does this person desire the most?
What is the most significant problem this person has?
How is this product or service going to answer to this person’s problem?
Know how the product solves the prospects’ needs.
Write a strong headline by:
making your lead paragraph expand on the benefit promised; and
converting curiosity into desire; and
Make an effective call to action by:
including your contact details;
putting your ad in three columns; and
placing a picture on top of the page.

Assessment:

Mindmap

Areas	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Depth of Content	Shows a solid grasp of all the content covered	Shows a solid grasp of all the content covered	Shows grasp of the basic content covered	Shows a grasp of the minimum content covered
Central Ideas	Stands out meaningfully and grasps the key ideas	Shows clear use of images that relate to ideas	Images are present but they do not relate to key ideas	Images and ideas are unclear
Interrelating Ideas	Images and words clearly show ideas and how they intersect	Images and words show ideas	Images and words are too few and some are not precise	Images and words are not precise
Color, Codes, and Connections	Craftsmanship is skillful and uses colors, codes, or links to meaningfully clarify connections	Clearly uses colors, codes, or links to most ideas	Shows an attempt to make use of colors or codes but there is inconsistency in the application	Shows a little use of colors, codes, and links and fails to connect them

Magazine Ad

Areas	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Headline	Contains an eye-catching headline	Contains a headline	Headline is hard to find	No headline
Body Copy	Provides complete information about the product	Contains some information about the product	Unclear information about the product	No body copy
Logo	Clever, identifiable logo	Logo is similar to another source	Logo is taken from another source	No logo
Slogan	Thoughtful, catchy, memorable, and original slogan	Slogan is not catchy or memorable	Slogan is unoriginal	Slogan is too close to another ad
Size	All elements of ad are appropriately sized and arranged in an engaging manner	Most elements are appropriately sized and arranged in an engaging manner	Some elements are appropriately sized but most are jumbled and all over the place	Dimensions of ads are ignored, with little or no effort to arrange them
Originality	Exhibits a clever slogan and shows obvious thought and creativity	Clever development of a new ad that does not spin off an ad for a similar product	Shows some creativity innovative design is ignored	Shows little thought or effort

Answer Key/Critical Notes on the Text

Writing a Good Advertisement

Here are nine criteria that an ad must satisfy if it is to be successful as a selling tool.

The headline contains an important consumer benefit, or news, or arouses curiosity, or promises a reward for reading the copy.
The visual (if you use a visual) illustrates the main benefit stated in the headline.
The lead paragraph expands on the theme of the headline.
The layout draws readers into the ad and invites them to read the body copy.
The body copy covers all important sales points in logical sequence.
The copy provides the information needed to convince the greatest number of qualified prospects to take the next step in the buying process.
The copy is interesting to read.
The copy is believable.
The ad asks for action.

Valuing

The main reason ads are created is to sell something. Even if the law to tell the truth requires advertisers to tell the truth. Most advertisers find it hard to do this. Ask students to share their thoughts on this.

Suggested References

Books

Bly, Robert W. The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells. Holt Paperbacks, 3rd edition, 2006.

Brown, Stephen. Writing Marketing. 1st Edition. SAGE Publications Ltd, 2005.

Others: Additional Questions, Helpful Links

10 Questions (Warm-up activity)

What is your favorite advertisement at the moment? Why do you like it so much?
Have you ever bought anything just because you saw it advertised on TV?
What famous advertising slogans can you remember? Why are they so memorable?
What is the aim of most adverts these days – to persuade you to buy the product, to inform you about a new product or to remind you about a well-known product?
Which adverts annoy you the most and why?
What influences you the most when you are shopping: the price of a product, its appearance or the advertising promoting it?
Do you believe ‘before and after’ advertisements? Why (not)?
How much do you think children are influenced by adverts they see on television?
Do you ever find that the adverts are exaggerated?
What do you think are the good and bad parts of working in advertising?

Helpful links

Magazine Ad

Why you should make useless things | Simone Giertz