Safety and Consumer Health - Day 1 SPONGE Safety and Consumer Health - Day 1 Describe a recent commercial that you liked. What are ways that advertisers make commercials and ads interesting?

Safety and Consumer Health Section 1 Consumer Health

Consumer Health Consumer health is the area of health that focuses on making wise choices when finding information about products and buying products.

Evaluating Internet Resources The internet contains a wealth of information, but also provides more false info than any other resource. When using websites to find information, remember:

Internet Resources Publishing Date: Is the information recent? Author: Who made this website? Accuracy: Did you find any false information? Credibility: Does the site make outrageous claims or try to appeal to your emotions?

Consumer Rights People who buy products have certain guaranteed rights, meant to keep companies from taking advantage of you. The following rights are included in the Consumer Bill of Rights.

Consumer Bill of Rights Products bought on the internet may be dangerous to your health. The right to choose: Because you live in a capitalist society, you can choose from a variety of products at a variety of prices. The right to be safe: Companies must make safe products or give warnings of danger. The right to be informed: Shoppers have the right to be given accurate information to make smart shopping decisions.

Advertising To make money, businesses must first get your attention. Advertising is a big business, which includes agencies that carefully make ads to appeal to you.

Advertising Tactics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCrZxZLSzXU Advertising is very carefully planned out to be seen where it will be most effective. Think: What ads would you see on Cartoon Network? What do commercials sell during football games? What kind of products are being advertised when stay-at-home moms are usually watching soap operas?

Advertising Appeals The purpose of advertising is to get you to want a product. Have you ever begged your parents for something you saw in a commercial? If so, then it worked. One way to avoid being manipulated by ad companies is to know the tricks they use to influences your choices. Here are techniques advertisers use to influence your choices:

Advertising Appeals Brand Loyalty Appeal: A company tries to convince you that their brand is better than the rest. For example, you know that most cola tastes about the same, but you drink Coca Cola because it’s “the best.”

Advertising Appeals False Image Appeal: This type of ad tries to convince you that you will have a better image if you buy their product. For example, for years Marlboro put out ads with the Marlboro man knowing men would want to appear rugged and adventurous.

Advertising Appeals Bandwagon Appeal: This type of ad hints that everybody else is using a product and you will be left out if you don’t buy it.

Advertising Appeals Humor Appeal: This type of ad uses something funny to hook you in. If the ad is funny enough to stick in your head, you may buy it later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtjW78IUgOQ&feature=related

Advertising Appeals Glittering Generality Appeal: This type of ad exaggerates a product’s impact and tries to appeal to your emotions. Your experience could probably never live up to what the ad shows.

Advertising Appeals Scientific Evidence Appeal: These ads show scientific data and tests to convince people to buy a product. For example, a doctor may say that a certain pain reliever has proven to work better in tests.

Advertising Appeals Progress Appeal: This type of ad claims its product is new and improved, and the best of its kind.

Advertising Appeals Reward Appeal: This type of ad will offer a special prize if you buy a product. You may only buy the product to get the prize.

Advertising Appeals Sex Appeal: This type of add hints that using their product will make you more attractive to the opposite sex.

Advertising Appeals Testemonial Appeal: This type of ad uses a famous personality who tells customers how great the product is.

The Bottom Line Not all ads are dirty tricks, but all of them are meant to motivate you to buy their product. Often times an ad will use more than one appeal to get you to buy a product.

Consumer Safety Project Find 3 advertisements and paste them to a poster board. On the poster board, record the different types of appeals the advertisers are using. Also describe how each appeal is specifically used in this advertisement. Finally, describe who the ad is specifically aimed at (ex: teens, women, boys, etc.) Include the magazine name and date it was published at the bottom of the poster.