Popping up Everywhere
Module 2, Activity 4.3 - Advertising and the Web
Student Page
(teacher lesson for this page)

Introduction:

As quickly as the Internet has grown, the use of advertising has grown too. We now see ads imbedded in web pages, popping up in front of us, and disguised as links. Cookies track our movements and report them to advertisers, and the dreaded Spam invades our inboxes. In this lesson you will be tracking the advertisements used in on-line papers and looking at how audience affects advertising.

Activities:

Task One - The Science of Advertising
You will be conducting an experiment about the nature of advertising in on-line newspaper. You will use the scientific method to conduct your experiment. Start by reviewing the method on the right, and then working through the steps. You may use an on-line newspaper you select, but remember it must have a print equivalent that is published at least weekly.

The Process:

1. Scan several on-line newspapers.
2. Create some questions about the content visual nature or techniques used in the ads.
3. Narrow your question to a specific hypothesis. (for example - Advertisements in on-line newspapers are most commonly placed on the right hand side because reading scans from left to right)
4. Create predictions.
5. Create a procedure for testing (how many papers you will look at, what paper, what pages, what counts as on the right etc.)
6. Conduct the experiment.
7. See if you were right.

Once you have finished, present your basic findings to the class.

Objectives:

You will be able to
- understand the role of advertising in the electronic media
- recognize the importance of market research

The Scientific Method

1. The Problem - ask yourself a question about the nature of advertising in on-line newspapers. The question must be able to be narrowed to something that can be measured.
2. The Hypothesis - make an educated guess about what happens and why.
3. The Prediction - a logical deduction based on the hypothesis.
4. The Experiment - tests the hypothesis and predictions.
5. The Conclusions - states the finding and explains factors that might have affected the conclusion.

Task Two - Market Game
Look at the statement above. Do you think it is true?

Prove or disprove the statement by using examples. First surf the web and look at at least 3 different sources of on-line news. Scan the articles on a page and determine who would be interested in the news story. Next, look at the ads. Are both the advertisement and the story aimed at the same group of people?

Write your response in your notebook, and be sure to use specific examples to prove your point.