Who are you?

Teacher’s notes

Preparation
Before the lesson, collect a crew of ‘faces’ (enough for each group/pair of students); these will
be the inhabitants of your imaginary town! Try to ensure that a variety of ages, interests, sex
and class are represented.

You will also need a selection of adverts (enough for two or three per face) that might appeal to
your selected townsfolk.

Resources
• ‘Who are you?’ worksheet
• Faces/photos of people
• 1 or 2 adverts per person (all adverts should be different, adverts should appeal to a variety
of ages)
• Map resource
• Product placement notes
• TV listings worksheet

How to approach it …
• Divide the class into groups and give each a face/photo. Using the ‘who are you?’ worksheet
each group works out a personality for their face – aim for realistic responses!
• Introduce faces to the class and stick on the wall.
• Issue each group with a selection of adverts and ask them to identify which of the faces their
adverts would be most appealing to.
• Groups explain to the class who would like each product and why, then put the advert at the
correct station.
• Project/put up on IWB the map resource. Explain that these people (the faces) live here.
They also work here (or commute), go to school and shop. Introduce the town and decide
where each of the people live and work. Have a look at the adverts around the faces at the
stations and decide as a class where the adverts would be best placed in the town (where
they’d be most likely to be seen and influence their target market). Encourage students to
question themselves and each other about choices and be explicit about the reasons for their
choices. The product placement sheet may be useful at this point, as it outlines some really
stereotypical ad placements! The aim here is to identify where an advert would best reach
its audience to encourage students to realise that advertising doesn’t just ‘happen’. The
product placement sheet could be used as a matching activity if needed.
• The TV advert sheet can be used in class with your faces, or as a more general exercise. This
could then be followed up for homework by asking students to watch TV and make a note of
the adverts they see during a particular programme and researching the program’s target
audience to see if their ideas match up.

© www.teachit.co.uk 2009 11379 Page 1 of 5

Who are you?

Who are you?

Think very carefully about the individual in your photograph and answer the following to build
up the person’s character and story.

How old is this person and what is their

What music do they listen to?
name?

Where do they live? What is their best memory?

What do they like to eat? What do they aspire to?

What is their favourite TV show? What would they like for their birthday?

Do they read? What do they read? What is their favourite chocolate bar?

What clothes do they wear when they can

What item is most precious to them?
choose?

© www.teachit.co.uk 2009 11379 Page 2 of 5

Who are you?

Street map Tourist information

Main traffic routes

Toilets Parking

Car dealership
Internet cafe
Garage

Market High street

Primary school Entertainment
Youth centre complex

Church

Secondary school
Secondary school

Shopping centre

High-rise flats

Sports centre

Residential area
Railway station

Newsagent

Supermarket

Primary school

© www.teachit.co.uk 2009 11379 Page 3 of 5

Who are you?

Product placement

More likely to advertise in the shopping centre, office

park and industrial estate because they are targeting
Holiday company
workers who need a break and people with some
disposable income.

Magazines and computer Would be placed on bus stops along the school bus route
games or outside secondary schools.

Nappies, household May appear in the shopping centre, near the supermarket
products and women’s and perhaps near primary schools/nurseries.
magazines

Could be seen near the supermarket and shopping centre

Children’s toys and
as these may be impulse buys or to increase ‘pester
sweets
power’.

Cars, gadgets and men’s May advertise in the office park, sports centre/gym and
magazines en-route to the golf course or motorway.

May opt for the airport, outside the local Cineplex or pub
Perfume and alcohol and in the town or shopping centre to catch people at
advertisers leisure and tempt them when they’re enjoying
themselves.

Are likely to advertise near secondary school, primary

Clothes schools and sports centre to appeal to mothers, teens
and the fashion conscious.

© www.teachit.co.uk 2009 11379 Page 4 of 5

Who are you?

TV adverts
Like advertising hoardings on the street, TV is also a wonderful way to reach your audience.
Think about who is most likely to watch these programs and what products those people would
be interested in.

For example, during a football match you are most likely to see adverts for beer and cars.
The likely audience is men from late teens to late thirties.

Use the spaces below to make your notes.

Cookery programme

Children’s programme

Soap opera

Home improvement programme

Chat show

Sport or car programme

Reality TV

© www.teachit.co.uk 2009 11379 Page 5 of 5