Media, Ads and Corporations

This week you are going to read a couple of articles about advertising. The first article is about embedded advertising and the second one is about how some ads are intentionally designed to encourage children to nag their parents. Before reading the articles, watch this video and then, if you wish, you may post your opinion on the collaborative blog for your class.



Your written homework assignment is to write a business letter in which you respond to the use of embedded ads (product placement) and/or the manipulation of children to encourage parents to buy products. Using the model letter you received in class, write a letter to Susan Linn (author of Consuming Kids: Protecting Our Children from the Onslaught of Marketing and Advertising) in which you explain your point of view regarding the nag factor. You might include anecdotes from your own childhood. OR Write a letter to David Westin, President of ABC Broadcasting Company to let the company know your opinion of using embedded ads in TV shows.