This is a great exercise that I like to do in conjunction with teaching students all kinds of adjectives. I tell them that they are all working for a major marketing company. They have just received a rush order and they have less than 30 to 40 minutes to finish the advertising plan and then present the plan to the company president. (the teacher)
I have found that if you tell them they can create anything then they will take forever, so I usually focus the class to being about perfume or cologne. I have found over the years that this works the best and often leads to some very creative and funny role-plays as they act out the commercial.
Go Over the Paper Before They Begin
For this class, I always set off the whole premise really in detail. “Today you are all top executives working for a major marketing and advertising company!” Then you want to go over each part. I tell them that even though the target group is number 5 they should decide that first. I’ve had classes design perfume for lonely soldiers, for ladies in their 50s, for old people who want to become young again, they get really creative.
Make sure they know that they will have to present the campaign at the end of class and point out to them that you’d like them to act out o at least narrate the 30-second commercial. I also leave a big blank spot in the middle of the page so that they can design the bottle of their perfume.
You may have to explain “catchy slogan.” That is why I have the title at the top of the page. I may have them think of or discuss some of their favorite commercials as a way to introduce adjectives earlier in the week. If you set the right tone and spur them to action you will be amazed by the crazy ideas they can come up with.
Make sure you leave enough time in the class for them to act out their commercials. That is always the best part of their presentation. And try to have at all the members involved in presenting some part of the campaign to the class. What follows can be copied and printed out for the class.
Just Do It!
You belong to a company that specializes in new products. You have to create a new perfume. You have only 35 minutes before you have to present your advertising plan to the company president. You can pick what ever you want for your new perfume. Make sure to be clear on your target audience and your advertising plan.
1. Name of perfume: _______________________________________________________________________
2. What is the scent? (Floral, Musk, Citrus, etc.)_____________________________________________________
3. Artist’s conception of perfume and /or label:
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4. Create a catchy slogan for your perfume:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Who is the target group? _________________________________________________
6. Create and perform a 30-second TV commercial for the product: ____________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
After They Are Done
At this point you might want to go over any new terms used or learned. I also might add that you might have to explain as they are doing the exercise that usually a man’s perfume is called cologne.
If you are ambitious and you have the resources you can always record the presentations to add an extra layer of ambiance to this exercise.
Having students review and report any grammatical or vocabulary mistakes they made is an added plus.
Have Fun!
The whole point of this exercise is for students to get a chance to use some English they have learned and be creative. Have fun and your students will too. I suggest playing music at a very low volume for some background music while they are doing this exercise
If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment down below. I’d love to hear from anyone who tried this out in class! Good luck and have a great class.
And as always remember, Teaching English is Fun!
Jim
