A Close Look at Tobacco Display

Activity: "What are they really saying?”

Supplies needed: Tobacco ads from magazines. If difficult to find, go to www.tobaccofreekids.org/adgallery for a list of ads to print.

Optional lending library items: A Closer Look at Tobacco display case.

Purpose: To analyze advertisements about tobacco products and learn to identify what the advertisers are telling you and if it is true.

Directions:
1. Hold up a magazine ad for a tobacco product. Ask the following questions:

• What product is being advertised?
• What message(s) are the pictures giving?
• What message(s) are the words giving?
• Do the pictures and words give the same message?
• What age person would this ad appeal to the most?
• Why?
• Are the messages in this ad true?
• How would you change this ad to make it more truthful about the effects of tobacco use?

Optional activity: Divide class into small groups, supply each group with one ad and a large piece of poster paper, instruct them to re-create the ad so it is accurate and share their process with rest of the class.

Discussion Points:

• Tobacco companies target youth in their advertising campaigns and messages.
• Some of the non-verbal messages given in the tobacco ads are not true. Tobacco ads say things people want to hear.

Visit http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0008.pdf for an updated document on tobacco industry marketing.

Back to Tobacco Lending Library