On this page you will find links to a lot of material on advertising and some language modules I designed for my EFL upper intermediate and advanced students. Please feel free to e-mail me with comments on how it was used in class, extra material that can be incorporated to this page and suggestions for improvement.
No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a controversial book written by Canadian journalist Naomi Klein. It was first published in January, 2000. The book is largely about branding, and is often connected with the anti-globalization movement. Throughout the four parts, Klein writes about sweatshops, culture jamming, corporate censorship, Reclaim the Streets and much more. Many of the ideas in Klein's book can be traced back to the influence of the Situationists, a radical art/political group that was founded in the late 1950s. The book was awarded the Canadian "National Business Book Award" for 2000.
(taken from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)In November 1999, Jason Diceman and some friends recorded, edited and produced a class video documentary on Naomi. In a stroke of surfing luck, I came across this material, which I found extremely useful for EFL students. The language is clear and easy to understand and the material provides lots of topical and controversial information for discussion. I asked Jason to send me a copy and by coincidence, the same week Brian Lehrer conducted a NO LOGO/PRO LOGO general debate with Naomi Klein and Sameena Ahmed (The Economist) at WNYC, which was recorded and can be also found online.
The Brian Lehrer Show (recording)
Naomi Klein: Know logo
(BBC article with a profile of the writer)Language Exercises
on the Documentary1 ) Warm up activity (identifying, describing, analysing logos)
2) Listening Comprehension
3) Building Vocabulary
4) Reading Comprehensionxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Marshall McLuhan Heritage Minute
Marshall McLuhan - The Man and his message (cbs archives)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A whole sequence of links related to the Apple Adventure
The Apple 1984 Newsweek Advertising Ad Insert
Apple's 1984: The Introduction of the Macintosh in the Cultural History of Personal Computers
Apple TV Ads
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Links to Ads OnlineAEF (Advertising Educational Foundation) - audio visual materials (Real Player required)
AdFlip - the world's largest searchable database of classic print ads
Complementary Material on Advertising and Media
Symbols - the world's largest online encyclopedia of graphic symbols!
A Primer on Analyzing TV Commercials
Fish out of Water - a unit centred around an environmental field study - a visit to a commercial centre - which challenges students to look at those images and texts which bathe them in commercial messages. The purpose of the experience is to raise students' critical awareness of this form of advertising that is more subtle than traditional print and television commercials - this is the world of immersion branding. Activity written by media educator Carol Arcus from Canada.
The Merchants of Cool - a report on the creators and marketers of popular culture for teenagers (PBS series with 53 minute video divided in 6 segments)
Flash Activism - Viral Flash activism is the most powerful publicity tool available to non-profits today
The Meatrix - a flash parody to the Matrix to make the public aware of the destructive and dangerous practices of factory farming and to promote sustainable agriculture.
Store Wars - the flash parody to Star Wars depicting the battle between the Farm and the Dark Side of it. Language Exercises provided by Laurence Bernard.
Language Exercises for the Meatrix - by Annie Gwynn
Advertising in the 1950's - a webquest in which sts take on the role of an advertising agent. They are part of an exclusive team responsible for a new multi-million dollar contract to develop an ad that relates to your target audience: 60-80 year old Americans.
Ad Dissection 101: Exposing Media Manipulation - a webquest by Bryan Anderson
Glossary of Common Ad Techniques
Media Watch - Canadian site in French and English belonging to a not for profit feminist organization working to eliminate sexism in the media
Analysing Advertising - a webquest by Joe Wainio
Reading an Advertisement - Learning visual and language skills to improve reading experience. A teaching sequence prepared by Andrée Klein and Claire Boussart from France.
Advertising -Analyse advertising texts in terms of their visual and verbal features and create glossary and vocabulary exercises. Very comprehensive, with lots of exercises by Karen Shepard from New Zealand.
Advertising Educational Foundation
Media Awareness Network - practical teaching units and classroom activities for media education
Questioning Advertisements - The questions prepared by Helen Nixon (University of South Australia) in this activity help students analyse the ways in which they are constructed and positioned by advertisements.
Advertising World - The University of Texas at Austin Department of Advertising Ultimate Marketing Communications Directory
The Branding of America Project - primary Sources from library of Congress include a timeline,lesson plans and online activities.
Emergence of Advertising in America -over 9,000 images relating to the early history of advertising in the United States from Duke University, include cookbooks, photographs of billboards, print advertisements, trade cards, calendars, almanacs, and leaflets for a multitude of products.
NSPCC Media Centre - campaign video clips raising awareness of cruelty against children
Copyright © 1999-2005 Barbara Dieu.
All Rights Reserved.
No material appearing on any of these pages may be reproduced without prior written permission.
Back to The English
Department Index Page