The beauty industry spends a lot of money producing and advertising their products. They make sure every aspect of how they sell their product is thoughtful and purposeful. They do this by using several different techniques that may not be so obvious to the consumer. When students are bombarded with these carefully constructed media messages, they are defenseless to read between the lines. After introducing the different strategies used in the media, have the students create three different scenes that use two different strategies in each.
This technique is the beauty industry's bread and butter. They will mention a social norm that most people experience, state it as an issue, and state their product will help. Making the consumer feel poorly about themselves is the objective of these companies. The next step is for the consumers to correct the problem: buying their product. We feel better when are correcting a problem, even when there was never a problem in the first place.
Advertisements may have several teens using the product to show that this is what other people buy and you should too.
“everyone has this”, “kid approved”, “you’re missing out”
Companies may use influential people to sell a product. Consumers may already resonate and trust what these individuals say or do. This gains easy customers for companies.
"Photoshopping" is when individual pictures are edited to emulate a unobtainable body frame to sell a product. The beauty industry is a main perpetrator of this tactic to sell the message, "our product will help you look like this".
Even if you will not use two or never intended to buy more, companies are trying to make an exclusive offer to you with minimal loss for them.
“buy now and get the second half off”
The ad states or shows information or messages again and again that you’ll replay in your mind.
Companies may use cartoons or animals to represent them and this makes the consumer relate to a living thing and not just a business. We are more prone to purchase something if we can empathize with it.
Example: Tony the Tiger
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Student Instructions
Demonstrate your understanding of media strategies by creating your own ads!
Lead a guided conversation where students share ads they've seen and identify the strategies used. This helps students apply critical thinking to real-world examples and builds awareness.
Collaborate with students to list media strategies on a chart displayed in your room. Refer back to this chart during future lessons to reinforce learning and encourage ongoing analysis.
Challenge students to bring in or find ads (magazines, online, TV) and identify which strategies are present. This deepens understanding and makes learning relevant.
Encourage students to design simple ads using at least two media strategies. Let them explain their choices in small groups, building creativity and analytical skills.
Facilitate a reflection session where students discuss how these strategies might affect their own buying decisions. Help students realize the power of media and become more informed consumers.
Common media strategies used by the beauty industry include presenting problems to create insecurities, using celebrity endorsements, editing images with photoshopping, promoting time-sensitive deals, repeating messages, seeking peer approval, and using charming mascots or animals to make ads relatable.
Students can identify hidden messages by looking for tactics such as exaggerated problems, unrealistic images, repeated slogans, endorsements by celebrities, or phrases like “everyone has this.” Recognizing these helps uncover the true intent behind ads.
The beauty industry uses photoshopping to create unattainable beauty standards. This makes consumers believe their products are necessary to achieve these looks, even if they are not realistic or healthy.
Presenting a problem in ads is designed to make consumers feel insecure or dissatisfied so they believe buying the product will solve their issue, even if that problem was created by the advertisement itself.
Teachers can assign students to create their own ads using at least two media strategies. By explaining and demonstrating these tactics, students learn to recognize persuasive techniques and become more critical consumers.