National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Active Involvement in Creating High School Substance Use Prevention Messages
Analyzing Advertisements
- There is discussion of how advertisers provide evidence for their claims.
- This section includes the first group activity designed to engage student groups in identifying ad claims, target audience, and the persuasion strategy used in two print magazine substance use advertisements. To further facilitate involvement, each small group presents their analysis to the larger group.
- The curriculum presenter facilitates the discussion and introduces the concept of what is missing from these ads (e.g., alcohol-and tobacco-related consequences) and substance use counter arguments.
- The identification of what is missing from ads is highlighted through illustration of several anti-ATOD advertisements (anti-alcohol example, anti-tobacco example). Students are prompted to discuss anti-ATOD target audiences and strategies for making these advertisements more effective for students like them.