Question

lesson 3 being a health-literate consumer
the influence of advertising
many factors influence your choices as a consumer. advertising is an external influence that can profoundly affect your choice of products. television, magazines, the internet, and radio are some of the most effective ways for advertisers to reach potential customers. this activity will help you analyze how advertising may affect your thoughts about particular products.

directions: for each product listed, identify the first brand name that comes to mind. then, describe what you know about the product. in the last column, list the source of your information, if you remember it. for example, you may recall an advertisement you saw or a jingle you heard. or, you may have used a product for a long time and have personal experience that has influenced your continued use of it. at the end of the activity, answer the questions to analyze what influenced your thoughts about these products.

product	brand	knowledge about the product	source of information about the product
soap
toothpaste

1. for which of the products above was your information based primarily on advertising?

_______________________________________________________

1. for which of the products above was your information based on personal experience with the product?

_______________________________________________________

1. were any of the words or phrases you used to describe the product the same as the words and phrases used in an advertisement for the product?

_______________________________________________________

1. based on the activity and your answers to the questions, how big of an effect do you feel advertising has on you and your consumer choices?

_______________________________________________________

Explanation:

This is an activity - based learning task about analyzing the influence of advertising on consumer choices. Here is how you can complete it:

Step 1: Fill in the table

• Shampoo:
• Brand: Let's say Pantene (this is a common brand that comes to mind for many people).
• Knowledge about the Product: It is supposed to make hair smooth, shiny, and reduce hair fall (these are common claims in Pantene advertisements).
• Source of Information about the Product: Television advertisements (since Pantene often advertises on TV).
• Soap:
• Brand: Dove.
• Knowledge about the Product: It is a moisturizing soap, good for dry skin, and makes the skin soft (claims from Dove's advertising).
• Source of Information about the Product: Magazine advertisements (Dove also advertises in magazines).
• Toothpaste:
• Brand: Colgate.
• Knowledge about the Product: Fights cavities, freshens breath, and whitens teeth (common Colgate ad claims).
• Source of Information about the Product: Internet advertisements (Colgate has a strong online advertising presence).

Step 2: Answer the questions

1. For which of the products above was your information based primarily on advertising?

• For Shampoo (Pantene), Soap (Dove), and Toothpaste (Colgate), the information was primarily based on advertising. Because most of the knowledge about these products (like making hair smooth, moisturizing skin, fighting cavities) comes from the claims made in their advertisements rather than personal experience (for example, we may not have scientifically tested if Pantene really reduces hair fall as claimed, but we know this from ads).

1. For which of the products above was your information based on personal experience with the product?

• Let's assume for Soap (Dove), if you have used Dove soap, your information could also be based on personal experience. You can feel if it makes your skin soft or not after using it. Similarly, if you have used Colgate toothpaste, you can tell if it freshens your breath. But for Shampoo, maybe you haven't used Pantene but still know about it from ads. So Soap and Toothpaste could have a mix, but if we have to choose, maybe Soap as many people use soap regularly and can base their knowledge on personal experience along with ads.

1. Were any of the words or phrases you used to describe the product the same as the words and phrases used in an advertisement for the product?

• Yes. For example, for Pantene, the advertisement says "makes hair smooth and shiny" and we used similar phrases. For Dove, "moisturizing" and "soft skin" are common ad phrases. For Colgate, "fights cavities" and "freshens breath" are ad - related phrases.

1. Based on the activity and your answers to the questions, how big of an effect do you feel advertising has on you and your consumer choices?

• Advertising has a significant effect. It shapes our initial perception of products. For example, when we think of shampoo, Pantene comes to mind because of its ads. It also influences what features we look for in a product. If an ad says a soap is moisturizing, we are more likely to buy it if we have dry skin. So advertising plays a big role in guiding our consumer choices by providing information (both true and sometimes exaggerated) about products.

If you want to fill the table with your own brand choices and experiences, you can do so. The key is to analyze how advertising and personal experience influence your knowledge of the product.

Answer:

This is an activity - based learning task about analyzing the influence of advertising on consumer choices. Here is how you can complete it:

Step 1: Fill in the table

• Shampoo:
• Brand: Let's say Pantene (this is a common brand that comes to mind for many people).
• Knowledge about the Product: It is supposed to make hair smooth, shiny, and reduce hair fall (these are common claims in Pantene advertisements).
• Source of Information about the Product: Television advertisements (since Pantene often advertises on TV).
• Soap:
• Brand: Dove.
• Knowledge about the Product: It is a moisturizing soap, good for dry skin, and makes the skin soft (claims from Dove's advertising).
• Source of Information about the Product: Magazine advertisements (Dove also advertises in magazines).
• Toothpaste:
• Brand: Colgate.
• Knowledge about the Product: Fights cavities, freshens breath, and whitens teeth (common Colgate ad claims).
• Source of Information about the Product: Internet advertisements (Colgate has a strong online advertising presence).

Step 2: Answer the questions

1. For which of the products above was your information based primarily on advertising?

• For Shampoo (Pantene), Soap (Dove), and Toothpaste (Colgate), the information was primarily based on advertising. Because most of the knowledge about these products (like making hair smooth, moisturizing skin, fighting cavities) comes from the claims made in their advertisements rather than personal experience (for example, we may not have scientifically tested if Pantene really reduces hair fall as claimed, but we know this from ads).

1. For which of the products above was your information based on personal experience with the product?

• Let's assume for Soap (Dove), if you have used Dove soap, your information could also be based on personal experience. You can feel if it makes your skin soft or not after using it. Similarly, if you have used Colgate toothpaste, you can tell if it freshens your breath. But for Shampoo, maybe you haven't used Pantene but still know about it from ads. So Soap and Toothpaste could have a mix, but if we have to choose, maybe Soap as many people use soap regularly and can base their knowledge on personal experience along with ads.

1. Were any of the words or phrases you used to describe the product the same as the words and phrases used in an advertisement for the product?

• Yes. For example, for Pantene, the advertisement says "makes hair smooth and shiny" and we used similar phrases. For Dove, "moisturizing" and "soft skin" are common ad phrases. For Colgate, "fights cavities" and "freshens breath" are ad - related phrases.

1. Based on the activity and your answers to the questions, how big of an effect do you feel advertising has on you and your consumer choices?

• Advertising has a significant effect. It shapes our initial perception of products. For example, when we think of shampoo, Pantene comes to mind because of its ads. It also influences what features we look for in a product. If an ad says a soap is moisturizing, we are more likely to buy it if we have dry skin. So advertising plays a big role in guiding our consumer choices by providing information (both true and sometimes exaggerated) about products.

If you want to fill the table with your own brand choices and experiences, you can do so. The key is to analyze how advertising and personal experience influence your knowledge of the product.