Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Part A: The Four ‘P’s of Advertising

10 minutes

Part B: Sport = Healthy? Creating Positive Associations

20 minutes

Part C: Advertising Through Sports Sponsorship - Fair or Not?

10 minutes

Reflection

Part A: The Four 'P's of Advertising

In this part of the lesson, students will gain a basic understanding of advertising and marketing so that they are able to think critically about the ways companies encourage people to buy their products.

Step 1

Invite students to sit where they can see the screen, and run through the 'Advertising and the Four Ps' presentation with the class. Take the time to ask for student responses in the relevant places.

Part B: Sport = Healthy? Creating Positive Associations

In this part of the lesson, students will apply their new understanding of advertising and marketing by considering how some companies promote their products by sponsoring a sports team, thereby creating an association between a product and a ‘healthy’ activity.

Step 1

This next part begins by highlighting how sports are associated with good health. Attach these posters at even intervals to the walls of the classroom - each features an image that symbolises sport or another ‘healthy’ activity. Ask students to grab a pen and move around each of the posters, writing down words and/or phrases that they associate with each of the images on the posters.

Step 2.

Once students have had a chance to note their thoughts on each of the posters, attach them to the whiteboard and facilitate a summary of the ideas collected on the posters. Emphasise the key points that emerge, leading students to the idea that we associate sport and physical activity with good health.

Step 3.

Invite students to complete a Think-Pair-Share visible thinking routine in response to the following question:

Why would companies promote their product by sponsoring sports teams?

Ask groups to share the main points of their discussion with the rest of the class. If not covered by students, emphasise the following information:

Companies aim to influence how people think of their product by carefully choosing where to place it
When companies associate their product with sports teams, it creates an association between the product and the ideas of good health that are attached to the sport - regardless of whether or not the actual product is healthy!

Part C: Promoting Through Sport - Fair or Not?

Step 1

Invite students to work either individually or in pairs, and distribute a copy of this article taken from The Conversation website: 'Unhealthy sport sponsorship continues to target kids.' (Source)

Encourage students to read through the article, either individually or in pairs. During their reading, they should:

Highlight sections of the article that feature key information
Underline words/phrases that students are unfamiliar with
Respond to the following questions:
- What is the article saying about companies advertising through sports teams/events?
- In your view, what is the message being sent through this marketing approach?
- Do you think that marketing an unhealthy product by associating it with sport is responsible?
- Should companies be able to advertise in this way, even if their product presents a health risk to those who consume it?
- Do you think that advertising/marketing unhealthy products through sport could have a wider impact?

These instructions are all included on the Student Worksheet.

Step 2

Invite students to form discussion groups of 3-4 people and discuss responses to each of the tasks and questions. Ask students to note down their main ideas, or any conclusions that they reach.

Step 3

Facilitate a class discussion to enable groups to share their main ideas. Include the following points if students have not already raised them:

Companies are able to promote unhealthy products through sports sponsorships, associating their products with healthy activities in order to make their products seem healthier.
The associations created through sports sponsorship may increase the likelihood that people will want to buy a product.
Marketing unhealthy products to children and young people can impact what they consume, which in turn can negatively impact their health.

Reflection

Invite students to respond in writing to the following prompt:

“Associating a product with sport is a fair way to market it.” Do you agree? Why/Why not?

There is space on the Student Worksheet for this reflection.

If you would like to make the reflection more targeted towards junk food or soft drinks, you may choose to ask students more specifically about the fairness of associating those products with sport. These reflections might revolve more around the question of advertising unhealthy food or drink during healthy activities. The broader prompt, around 'products' more generally, may be useful for more general reflections on advertising in sports.

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Ask students to develop their response to the reflection prompt into a full essay. They should include supporting evidence and references from the sources used in the lesson.

Provisions for Learning Support – Find some specific examples of food/drink companies that sponsor sports teams, and direct students to these examples so that they can better understand the concept of creating association in advertising.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Taking it Further

If you would like more information about SugarByHalf or the movement to reduce our sugar intake, check out the SugarByHalf Teachers Network here.

SugarByHalf would also love to share the results of your teaching with the world! If your students are making amazing changes, consider emailing info@sugarbyhalf.com to let them know. They're excited to tell people about your success!

SugarByHalf - Evaluating Sports Sponsorships and Advertising

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