CONSUMER HEALTH

RESPONSE WARM UP

• Why do many companies use celebrities to endorse

their products?
• Have you ever bought something simply because
of who was on the face of the advertisement?
• What celebrities do you know of that have
endorsed a product or service? What was that
product?
 CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS

• Big-name celebrity endorsements:

• Nike • Nike • Pepsi

• Rolex • McDonald’s • L’oreal
• Buick • Coca-Cola • American
• EA Sports (2009) • Samsung Express
• Dunkin Donuts • Nintendo DS
 KEY TERMS

• Consumer: Anyone who buys a product or service

• Product: Anything offered to a select market that might
satisfy a want or a need.
• Service: The supplying or supplier of utilities required by
the public.
• Companies try to market to specific populations based
on what they believe the wants and needs are (target
audience).
• Examples of products: food, cars, sports equipment,
medicine, skin care products, etc.
• Examples of services: dentist’s offices, lawyers, doctors,
UPS, cell phone carriers, and so on.
 EVALUATING ADVERTISEMENTS

• Strategies you can use to make an informed choice

• When looking at an advertisement, it is important to
think critically about what is being portrayed.
• Will the product really improve your situation?
• Make sure to read the fine print.
• Many times the negative aspects or side effects are listed
when most people have tuned out.
• Ask yourself, “Do I really need it?” (want vs. need)
• The advertisements sometimes use misleading terms,
and false claims to get you to buy their product. This
is known as bias.
 ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

• Informational Ads:
• Make their claims mostly based on facts
• Use statistics (be careful of how they present statistics)
• Include the advice of “experts”
• Say what the product does
• Infomercials are perfect examples
 ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

• Bandwagon:
• Suggests you, the customer, will be left out if they do not
buy what is being sold.
• Use glittering generalities: words that evoke a positive
response.
• Examples of glittering generalities: strong, unrivaled,
American, freedom, new, fresh, pure, better.
 ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

• Testimonial:
• Companies use celebrities to endorse their products
by getting the celebrities to give great reviews.
• These can sometimes be misleading.
• Why is it beneficial for companies to use celebrities
rather than ordinary people?
 ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

• Beautiful People: Using very attractive

models/families (unrealistic?) to portray the possible
outcomes of using a product.
• Good Times: The product used will help you “feel”
good or have a good time.
• Cure-all: Using the product will get rid of your
problems.
• Instant Results: Use the product, and get instant
results. What kinds of products are marketed this
way?
 PARTNER ACTIVITY

• With a partner, you are now going to evaluate

advertisements.
• You will receive a printed advertisement, and your
task will be to answer the questions on the sheet in
relation to what you see.
• When you are done with the first one, trade
advertisements with a group close to you, and
complete the same thing on the back side of your
sheet.
• Be prepared to share your answers!
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
 EXIT TICKET

• With your same partner, you will answer the 3

questions on the exit ticket.
• Turn them in as you leave.