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E9 E - Compare advertising strategies across media

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E9 E - Compare advertising strategies across media

Mini description: Compare two advertising formats – especially a poster and a short video – by looking at target audience, message and persuasive strategies. Then transfer your ideas to an influencer post or a website. This course is for English as a first foreign language, Class 9, E-level, Baden-Württemberg.

Media start – 20-second scan: Look at the billboard format above. Do not translate. Ask yourself: What can a poster do in three seconds? What can it not do?

Your route through the course

English first → understand → respond → ask → hint → improve → use again.

Understand: Get the main idea before you focus on details.
Respond: Give a short first answer in English.
Ask: Ask one useful follow-up question.
Hint: Use a word bank or sentence starter only if needed.
Improve: Add evidence, comparison and clearer language.
Use again: Transfer the strategy to a new ad format.

I can ...

By the end, you can say:

I can identify the target audience, main message and persuasive strategies of an ad.
I can compare a poster and a short video with relevant evidence.
I can explain how image, sound, wording, layout and timing influence an audience.
I can discuss different viewpoints and answer spontaneous questions.
I can write a coherent comparison and revise it independently.
I can mediate key advertising information for a specific purpose and audience.
I can check sources, media and AI-supported feedback critically.

Activate your prior knowledge

In pairs, speak for 60 seconds:

Where did you notice advertising today?
Which format did you see: poster, short video, influencer post, website or something else?
What made you notice it?
What did the ad want you to think, feel or do?

Rule: Give examples, but do not show private accounts, personal messages or other people's data.

Media lab 1: Poster

Quick scan: You have 15 seconds. Then hide the image and answer in English.

What did you notice first?
Who might the target audience be?
What seems to be the main message?
Which visual detail could persuade a viewer?

E9-E challenge: Separate observation from interpretation.

Observation: “The product name is large.”

Interpretation: “The large product name may make the brand easier to remember.”

Poster strategy toolkit

A poster has little time. It often works through:

visual hierarchy: the most important element is easy to notice first
slogan: a short memorable phrase
emotional appeal: an image or phrase creates a feeling
call to action: the viewer is told what to do next
scarcity: time or availability seems limited
social proof: other people appear to approve or use the product
endorsement: a known or trusted person supports the message
evidence: facts, numbers or examples support a claim

Do not assume that a strategy is effective just because it is present. Ask: effective for whom, and why?

Media lab 2: Online advertising

Compare the online banner with the poster above.

Focus	Poster	Online banner
First attention	What catches the eye?	What catches the eye?
Target audience	Who is likely to notice it?	Who might be reached online?
Message	What is the core idea?	What is the core idea?
Persuasion	Which strategy is visible?	Which strategy is visible?
Next action	What should the viewer do?	What could the viewer click or do?

Source check: Before using any online ad as evidence, check creator, purpose, date, context and licence.

Listening and viewing

Viewing focus – Online Advertising: Crash Course Media Literacy #7

Watch in two chunks. The video has a high information density, so you may pause and use English subtitles. Do not translate every sentence.

First viewing: gist

What is the video's main point about online advertising?
Why are data useful to advertisers?
Which part connects to target audience?

Second viewing: evidence

Write three notes under these headings:

targeting – message – persuasion

Then explain one connection in 30–45 seconds.

Extension – Introduction to Media Literacy: Use this video to ask: Who created the message? For which audience? For which purpose? What information is missing?

Core comparison: same product, two media

The following campaign is fictional. There is no real company, profile or customer data.

Product: GreenSip refill bottle

Format A – Poster

“GREEN SIP – Refill. Repeat. Waste less. Student launch: 20% off until Friday.”

Visual idea: one bright bottle, large product name, little text, QR-code area.

Format B – 15-second short video

0–3 sec: A student reaches for a disposable bottle. Text: “Again?”

3–8 sec: Quick cut to GreenSip. Voice: “Refill it. Use it again.”

8–12 sec: Three fast school-day scenes. Text: “One bottle. Every day.”

12–15 sec: Product close-up. Voice: “20% student launch offer – until Friday.”

Compare, do not just describe

Question	Poster	Short video
Target audience	Which details suggest teenagers or students?	Which scenes, pace or language suggest teenagers or students?
Main message	What should stay in your mind?	What should stay in your mind?
Persuasive strategies	Slogan? discount? scarcity? visual focus?	hook? repetition? music? pacing? voice? scarcity?
Strength of the medium	Fast, static, easy to scan	Movement, sound, timing, mini-story
Limitation	Little space and no sound	Needs time, attention and a device

Model comparison:

“The poster targets students through the launch discount and short slogan. The short video targets the same group through fast school scenes and direct spoken language. Both use scarcity because the offer ends on Friday. However, the video can create more energy through movement and sound, while the poster must communicate its message immediately.”

Reading

Read this short input once for the main idea and once for detail.

Advertising literacy means more than noticing that something is an ad. A critical viewer also asks who created it, who is targeted, what the selling or persuasive purpose is, and which techniques are used. Different media offer different possibilities. A poster can use size, colour, image and position. A short video can add movement, sound, editing, voice and timing. Online formats can also lead directly to a click, shop or profile. A strong comparison therefore explains not only what an ad contains, but how the medium changes the persuasive strategy.

Reading response: Write one sentence that begins:

“Compared with a poster, a short video can ...”

Then add evidence from the GreenSip examples.

Context vocabulary

Word or phrase	Useful meaning in this unit	Use it
target audience	the group an ad wants to reach	“The target audience seems to be ...”
claim	a statement the ad wants you to believe	“The main claim is ...”
persuasive strategy	a method used to influence an audience	“The ad uses ... to ...”
emotional appeal	a strategy that creates feelings	“The image creates a feeling of ...”
call to action	language that tells the audience what to do	“The call to action asks viewers to ...”
scarcity	limited time or availability	“Scarcity is created by ...”
endorsement	support from a known or trusted person	“The endorsement may increase ...”
evidence	facts or examples that support a claim	“The ad gives evidence by ...”
credibility	how trustworthy something seems	“The source appears credible because ...”
hook	an opening that catches attention	“The first three seconds use ... as a hook.”

Pronunciation and fluency

Goal: understandable English, not accent-free English.

Practise these chunks, not single words:

target audience
persuasive strategy
the main message is
in contrast to
this may persuade viewers because

Speak once slowly, then again at natural speed. Stress the key content words. In a discussion, use short thinking phrases: “Let me think.” – “I see your point, but ...” – “Can you give an example?”

Speaking

Two-minute ad comparison

Speak for about two minutes without reading a full script.

Name both formats.
Identify the target audience.
Explain the main message.
Compare at least two persuasive strategies.
Give evidence from both formats.
End with one balanced judgement about how the media work differently.

Then answer two spontaneous questions from a partner.

Useful questions:

“Which detail supports your idea?”

“Would this work for a different audience?”

“What changes when sound is removed?”

“Is the claim supported by evidence?”

Writing

Write 180–220 words comparing the GreenSip poster and short video.

Use this structure:

Opening: name both formats and the shared campaign.
Paragraph 1: compare target audience and message.
Paragraph 2: compare persuasive strategies with evidence.
Paragraph 3: explain how the medium changes the effect.
Conclusion: give a balanced, evidence-based final point.

Useful connectors: both – similarly – however – whereas – in contrast – because – therefore – while – although

Revision rule: Keep your first version. Revise it yourself before using feedback.

Functional grammar

Use grammar to make the comparison clearer.

Comparatives:

“A short video is more dynamic than a poster.”

“The poster communicates the slogan more quickly.”

Contrast:

“Whereas the poster depends on one image, the video can build a short sequence.”

Modal language for careful analysis:

“This may create urgency.”

“The audience might connect the product with school life.”

Avoid overclaiming. Do not write “This makes everyone buy it.”

Mediation

Situation: A German school club wants to advertise a second-hand fair. An English-speaking exchange student asks what the club's German planning note means.

The German note says:

“Wir wollen Jugendliche ab Klasse 8 erreichen. Das Plakat soll kurz und auffällig sein. Ein kurzes Video darf zusätzliche Szenen aus dem Schulalltag zeigen. Wichtig sind ein klarer Termin, ein einfacher Aufruf zum Mitmachen und keine privaten Schülerdaten.”

Task: Explain the relevant information in 80–100 words of English for the exchange student. Do not translate sentence by sentence. Adapt the information to the purpose and audience.

Help levels

Hint 1 – small support

“The poster targets ... because ...”

“Both ads use ..., but ...”

“This may persuade the audience by ...”

Hint 2 – word bank

target audience – slogan – hook – scarcity – emotional appeal – evidence – call to action – credibility – visual – sound – pace – contrast

Hint 3 – planning grid

Point	Format A	Format B	Comparison sentence
Audience
Message
Strategy 1
Strategy 2

E-level: Start with the smallest help you need. Remove the scaffold when you can continue independently.

Feedback and error analysis

Peer feedback: Glow – Grow – Next

Glow: Name one precise strength.
Grow: Point to one place that needs stronger evidence or clearer comparison.
Next: Suggest one concrete revision.

Error analysis

Improve these sentences:

“The video is better because it has music.”
“The ad makes teenagers buy it.”
“Both ads are same but different.”
“The target group is young people because the product is cool.”

Ask yourself: Is the wording precise? Is there evidence? Is the claim too strong? Is the comparison clear?

Transfer: influencer post and website

Influencer post – fictional only

A fictional creator named Sam Reed posts:

“School bag check: bottle, charger, notes. GreenSip has sponsored this post. I have used the bottle for one week. What I like: it is light. What I would change: the lid is hard to open. #ad”

Analyse:

How is the sponsorship made visible?
Which details may increase credibility?
Which parts are personal opinion and which are claims?
What information would you still want to check?

Website transfer

Imagine the same GreenSip campaign as a website landing page. Decide where you would place headline, product image, evidence, price and call to action. Explain how the strategy changes when the viewer can scroll and click.

Media and AI safety

Use only fictional profiles and fictional personal data in your own tasks.
Do not upload classmates' faces, voices, names or accounts without clear permission.
Recording is voluntary and can stay private on the school device.
No external AI tool is required for this course.
If AI use is allowed, keep your original text, check factual claims and sources, and decide yourself which feedback to accept.
Never paste private social-media content into an external tool.
Check Wikimedia Commons licence information before reusing a file. Embed public YouTube material instead of downloading and re-uploading it.
Avoid cultural stereotypes. Analyse concrete language, images and context instead.

Can-do check

Choose: secure – almost – not yet.

I can identify target audience, message and persuasive strategies.
I can compare two media instead of describing them separately.
I can support ideas with visible or audible evidence.
I can discuss and answer spontaneous follow-up questions.
I can write a coherent comparison and revise it.
I can mediate information for a specific purpose.
I can check source, purpose, date, evidence and licence.

If “almost”: return to one media lab and improve one answer.

If “not yet”: use Hint 1 and the word bank, then try again.

If “secure”: continue with E9 E - Create an ethical cross-media ad campaign.

Sources and media check

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is the target audience of an advertisement? (The group the ad wants to reach) (!The company that prints the ad) (!The price of the product) (!The place where the ad was designed)

Which feature can a short video use but a printed poster cannot? (Sound and timing) (!A slogan) (!A product image) (!A call to action)

What does scarcity do in an advertisement? (It creates pressure through limited time or availability) (!It explains the full production process) (!It removes the target audience) (!It guarantees that a claim is true)

Which sentence is a real comparison? (The video uses movement whereas the poster depends on one static image) (!The poster has a bottle) (!The video is fifteen seconds long) (!The slogan is short)

What is a call to action? (Language that tells the audience what to do next) (!A background colour) (!A camera angle) (!A product category)

Which phrase shows careful analysis instead of overclaiming? (This may create urgency) (!This makes everyone buy it) (!All teenagers love this) (!The strategy always works)

What should you use as evidence in an ad analysis? (A concrete detail from the ad) (!A guess with no example) (!A private message from a classmate) (!A stereotype about an audience)

Why can a website use a different strategy from a poster? (Viewers can scroll and click for more information) (!Websites cannot use images) (!Posters always include sound) (!Websites have no target audience)

What is good mediation? (Selecting and adapting relevant information for a purpose and audience) (!Translating every word in the same order) (!Adding facts that were not in the source) (!Copying the source without changes)

What is a good first step when checking an online advertising source? (Check who created it and for what purpose) (!Trust it because it looks professional) (!Share it before checking) (!Ignore the publication context)

Memory

Target audience	Group an ad wants to reach
Slogan	Short memorable phrase
Scarcity	Limited time or availability
Endorsement	Support from a known or trusted person
Hook	Opening that catches attention
Evidence	Facts or examples supporting a claim

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Poster	Static visual format with very little viewing time
Short video	Moving format using timing and sound
Influencer post	Personal-looking format that may include sponsorship
Website	Clickable format with more space for information
Banner ad	Compact online format designed to attract a click

Kreuzworträtsel

Audience	Which group does an ad want to reach?
Slogan	What is a short memorable advertising phrase called?
Scarcity	Which strategy uses limited time or availability?
Endorsement	What is support by a known or trusted person called?
Contrast	Which word describes showing clear differences between two formats?
Credibility	What describes how trustworthy a source or message seems?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Ad spotting: Find three ads in public or school-safe media and classify their formats. Do not collect private account data.
Poster scan: Analyse one Wikimedia Commons poster using target audience, message and one persuasive strategy.
Strategy cards: Create six small vocabulary cards with strategy, definition and your own example.
Mini comparison: Write four sentences comparing a poster and a banner ad.

Standard

Short-video storyboard: Design a fictional 15-second ad storyboard with hook, message and call to action.
Source check: Compare two advertising sources by creator, purpose, date, evidence and licence.
Speaking challenge: Give a two-minute comparison and answer two spontaneous partner questions.
Mediation task: Mediate a German school-club advertising plan into English for an exchange student.

Schwer

Cross-media campaign: Design a poster and short-video concept for the same fictional product and justify how the strategy changes.
Perspective comparison: Compare how advertiser, teenager and parent might evaluate the same persuasive strategy.
Research task: Research one persuasive strategy in two reliable English-language sources and explain where the sources agree or differ.
Critical review: Write and revise a 220-word source-based comparison of two real, school-safe advertising formats.

Lernkontrolle

Audience shift: The same product now targets parents instead of teenagers. Explain three changes you would make to the poster and short video and why.
Silent video: A short video loses its sound. Analyse which persuasive elements still work and which need redesign.
Evidence check: An ad says “Everyone loves it.” Explain why this is weak evidence and rewrite the claim more responsibly.
Format decision: A school club has only five seconds of attention from passers-by. Compare poster, website and short video for this situation without simply naming a winner.
Ethical redesign: Improve an ad that uses pressure and an unclear sponsorship signal. Keep the message persuasive but make the communication more transparent.
Transfer writing: Use evidence from two formats to explain how the medium shapes the persuasive strategy.

Lernnachweis

Für einen Lernnachweis zu diesem Thema ist wichtig:

Du identifizierst target audience, message und persuasive strategies präzise.
Du vergleichst mindestens zwei Medienformate mit konkreten Belegen.
Du erklärst, wie Bild, Sprache, Ton, Timing, Layout oder Interaktivität die Wirkung verändern.
Du nutzt passenden Kontextwortschatz und funktionale Vergleichsstrukturen.
Du argumentierst zusammenhängend und unterscheidest Beobachtung von Interpretation.
Du beziehst Quellen und unterschiedliche Perspektiven ein.
Du überarbeitest einen eigenen Text nachvollziehbar und behältst die Erstfassung.
Du kannst Rückfragen beantworten und Ergebnisse verständlich präsentieren.
Du kannst Informationen zweck- und adressatengerecht sprachmitteln.
Du beachtest Datenschutz, Urheberrecht, Quellenprüfung und einen verantwortlichen KI-Einsatz.

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