: Silent Ads
Trend task
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Approach: One to one Level: Year 4 and year 8 
access task
Focus: Thinking critically about visual messages
Resources: Video recording, with no sound, on laptop computer

Questions/instructions:
This activity uses the computer.
We’re going to watch some adverts without the sound turned on. Watch carefully, because after each advert I’ll ask you some questions about it.

Click the Silent Ads button.


% responses
2006 ('02)
y4
y8

Click the Advert 1 button.
[Click on image to enlarge.]

Burger King small    
In this ad they are trying to get people to buy Burger King burgers.
1. What does this ad tell people about the Burger King burger?
   
Ingredients:
chicken
5 (4)
6 (12)
other meat/patty
27 (24)
26 (29)
not meat
69 (72)
68 (59)
lettuce
20 (20)
24 (36)
tomato
6 (8)
7 (21)
bun
8 (11)
10 (20)
white sauce/mayonnaise
20 (19)
19 (36)
Description:
meat flame grilled
22 (13)
48 (44)
colourful/appealing
25 (36)
36 (54)
makes it look big
4 (4)
8 (13)
slogan - it just tastes better
10 (13)
15 (16)
can get Fly Buy points
1 (2)
1 (4)
Burger King ingredients fresh
13 (4)
27 (18)

2. Do you think this is a good ad for getting people to buy Burger King burgers?
Why do you say that?

 
yes
60 (66)
66 (81)
 
no
28 (24)
17 (11)
 
maybe
13 (11)
17 (9)
Justification of choice:
(ad, not product)
strong
8 (2)
19 (4)
moderate
39 (22)
58 (41)
weak/none
54 (76)
31 (54)
Click the Advert 2 button.
[Click on image to enlarge.]
World Vision
In this ad they are trying to get people to give money for poor children overseas.
3. What does this ad tell people about the poor children overseas?
 
children live in poor conditions
(e.g. dirty water, food, clothes)
81 (82)
89 (91)
 
children have health problems
30 (30)
29 (33)
 
therefore children are not very happy
3 (4)
8 (9)
 
donated money can help
30 (29)
31 (37)
 
children become healthier/happy
8 (6)
10 (12)
4. Do you think this is a good ad for getting people to give money for poor children overseas? Why do you say that?
 
yes
92 (92)
91 (93)
 
no
8 (5)
9 (4)
 
maybe
1 (3)
0 (2)
Justification of choice:
(ad, not product)
strong
19 (3)
37 (12)
moderate
48 (37)
50 (48)
weak/none
34 (60)
13 (40)
Click the Advert 3 button.
[Click on image to enlarge.]
Blue Bird ad
In this ad they are trying to get people to buy Bluebird potato chips.
5. What does this ad tell people about Bluebird potato chips?
 
little detail about the chips
29 (13)
29 (23)
 
suggests that they are very popular
(even for penguins and polar bears)
34 (33)
60 (48)
6. Do you think this is a good ad for getting people to buy Bluebird chips?
Why do you say that?

 
yes
56 (60)
59 (60)
 
no
32 (30)
27 (29)
 
maybe
12 (10)
14 (11)
Justification of choice:
(ad, not product)
strong
12 (1)
25 (10)
moderate
29 (26)
49 (44)
weak - none
59 (73)
26 (46)
Total score:
12–24
6 (2)
15 (13)
9–11
12 (8)
26 (24)
6–8
32 (23)
35 (34)
3–5
39 (43)
20 (23)
0–2
12 (24)
3 (6)
Subgroup Analysis:
Year 4

Year 8

Commentary:
This task involved watching ads without their sound to analyse their messages and critique their effectiveness. Students in 2006 did somewhat better on this task than did students in 2002. There were no gender differences. Pakeha students did slightly better than Mäori and Pasifika students.
 
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