Jennie A. Kerney
This unit will help students become aware of how much they are influenced by a commercial with a catchy jingle. They will learn about the history of commercial jingles from their inception in radio commercials through television commercials and why they are such an important part of American consumerism. They will discover and explore how jingles such as the Hilltop Coke commercial and the Big Mac song can remain in the brain and in the culture long after the commercial has been aired.
This unit will be comprised of three sections. The first will challenge students to match famous jingles to their commercials. They will also be able to list their favorite jingles and examine why they are favorites. The second will utilize readings as a way to make the students aware of how great ideas become reality. I am going to focus on "The Hilltop Ad" and the "Big Mac Ad": how, where and when they were made and why they were so successful. This lesson will also include how a commercial that was made in the '70's could be remade and appeal to today's youth. The third section will require small groups to invent a product and write a jingle for that product. They will perform their jingle for the class and be rated for both the visual (actual product invented) and aural (the jingle) quality of their commercial.
The activities in this unit are designed to make students aware of the advertising jingle. They will explore what it is about a specific jingle that catches their attention. The culminating activity will allow students to create a product, write both the jingle and commercial for that product, and finally perform that commercial for the class. A camcorder will be used to record the performances. Students will then have the opportunity to view their own performances and critique them.
When this unit is finished, I expect my students to understand the important role that jingles play in advertising, what goes into creating and producing a commercial, and what the future of commercial jingles might include.