Two Eras of Ads
Joan Kane
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago, IL
Summer 2008
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/*
In this learning experience, students will learn how advertising has changed over time.
Student teams will compare and contrast advertisements from 1850 to 1920 with
contemporary advertisements. The student teams will create a digital story to report the
results of their analysis.
Overview/ Materials/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview
Objectives
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Materials
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Students will:
 select two sets of ads from different American eras.
 analyze the two sets of ads to discover how different
target markets are affected by social trends and
societal customs.
 create a digital story to describe their analysis, using
Microsoft Photo Story 3.
Four 50 minute class periods
9th-12th
Introduction to Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship
 Computer lab with Microsoft Photo Story 3 (free
product)
 Copies of recent magazines
 Ad analysis sheet
 Ad project rubric
 Citation worksheet
 Feedback form
Illinois State Learning Standards
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Language Arts:
GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess
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and communicate information.
 5.A. Locate, organize, and use information from
various sources to answer questions, solve problems
and communicate ideas.
Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and
movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United
States and other nations.
 16.B. Understand the development of significant
political events.
Social Studies:
GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an
emphasis on the United States.
 18.A. Compare characteristics of culture as
reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions
and institutions.
National Educational Technology Standards – Students:
Standard 3: Research and Information Fluency
 Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and
use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,
and ethically use information from a variety of
sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and
digital tools based on the appropriateness to
specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
Standard 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and
Decision Making
 Students use critical thinking skills to plan and
conduct research, manage projects, solve problems,
and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources. Students:
a. identify and define authentic problems and
significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution
or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions
and/or make informed decisions.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives
to explore alternative solutions...
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National Business Education Association Standards
Marketing
I. Foundations of Marketing
 Achievement Standard: Recognize the customeroriented nature of marketing and analyze the impact
of marketing activities on the individual, business,
and society.
II. Consumers and Their Behavior
 Achievement Standard: Analyze the characteristics,
motivations, and behaviors of consumers
Procedures
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Day One:
 The teacher will show some ads from the The
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920
collection on the LOC site and facilitate a discussion
on the characteristics of the ad that match today’s
world and the characteristics that do not.
 Student will work in teams to complete this project.
Each team will decide the following roles for its
members:
o Editor
o Head researcher
o Chief writer
o Photo Story developer
 Students will use the Library of Congress resources
in the The Emergence of Advertising in America:
1850-1920 collection
 Student teams will select two ads for the same
product category from the LOC website.
 Student teams will find 2 contemporary ads in the
same marketing category as the ads selected from
the LOC resources.
 Student teams will save the LOC resources locally
and scan the magazine ads to obtain digital copies.
 Student teams will complete the Citation worksheet.
Day Two:
 Student teams will research societal trends that
affected marketing for each of the two eras
represented by their ad selections and identify the
three most important trends.
 Student teams will analyze the two sets of ads from
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different eras on the following criteria:
o Target audience
o Artistic layout
o Use of graphics
o Content and text used in ad
o Differences in society and way of life
between the two sets of ads.
Day Three:
 Student teams will create a digital story to describe
their analysis, using Microsoft Photo Story 3.
 Student teams will use photos and scanned ads in the
digital story, add voiceovers to explain analysis, and
add appropriate music to the digital story.
 Student teams will provide correct citations and
credits for all content used.
Day Four:
 Student teams will present their digital stories to the
class.
 Class members will provide feedback on the student
teams digital stories, using the Feedback Form as a
guide.
Evaluation
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
Extension
The learning experience will be evaluated by student
feedback and teacher guidance. The student teams
will use the project rubric to guide their activities
and decide on the style and content of the project.
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
To extend this activity, students can apply the
knowledge they gained about advertising from 1850
to 1920 to create an advertisement for a modern
product using the themes, layout, colors, etc. of the
older ads.
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Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
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Image
Citation
Description
URL
Emergence of Advertising in
America: 1850-1920,
1917 advertisement for Lever
Bros. Lux laundry flakes;
features children and sports.
http://library.duke.edu/digital
collections/eaa.L0012/pg.1/
Digital ID
ncdeaa L0012
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.awar
d/ncdeaa.L0012, Rare
Book, Manuscript, and
Special Collections
Library, Duke University
Emergence of Advertising in
America: 1850-1920,
Digital ID
ncdeaa P0026
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.awar
d/ncdeaa.P0026,
Duke University Rare
Book, Manuscript, and
Special Collections
Library
http://library.duke.edu/digi
talcollections/eaa/
http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@fie
ld(DOCID+@lit(eaa001942))
Advertisement for Pond’s
Extract from 1907.
http://library.duke.edu
/digitalcollections/eaa
.P0026/
http://memory.loc.gov
/cgibin/query/r?ammem/e
aa:@field(DOCID+@
lit(eaa002590))
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Rubric
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Two Eras of Ads
Teacher Name: Ms. Kane
Names of Students on Team:
CATEGORY
Research
_______________________________________________________________
4
The digital story
show evidence of
research from the
Library of Congress
and other sources; all
research is properly
cited.
2
1
The digital story
show evidence of
research from the
Library of Congress
and other sources;
some, but not all,
research is properly
cited.
The digital story
show evidence of
research from the
Library of Congress
and other sources;
research is not
properly cited.
The digital story
shows a lack of
research from the
Library of Congress
and other sources.
demonstrates
strongly how the way
of life and mores
contemporary to
each set of ads affect
the advertising style,
layout, and content.
The digital story
demonstrates how
the way of life and
mores contemporary
to each set of ads
affect the advertising
style, layout, and
content.
The digital story
demonstrates how
the way of life and
mores contemporary
to each set of ads
affect the advertising
style, layout, and
content, but the
analysis is not
convincing.
The digital story
does not
demonstrate how
the way of life and
mores contemporary
to each set of ads
affect the advertising
style, layout, and
content
The digital story
clearly portrays the
branding for the
product category for
the ads and the four
Ps of marketing
(product, place,
price, and
promotion).
The digital story
mentions the
branding for the
product category for
the ads and the four
Ps of marketing
(product, place,
price, and
promotion).
The digital story
mentions the
branding for the
product category for
the ads and the four
Ps of marketing
(product, place,
price, and
promotion), but the
explanation is
incomplete.
The digital story
does not address
branding of a
product and the four
Ps of marketing
(product, place,
price, and
promotion).
Analysis of Ads The digital story
Marketing
Concepts
3
The digital story
Use of Graphics The digital story
makes
excellent
use
makes use of
and Color
of graphics, layout,
color, and music to
engage the viewer.
graphics, layout,
color, and music to
engage the viewer.
The digital story uses The digital story
of graphics, layout,
does not engage the
color, and music, but viewer.
the overall effect is
distracting, not
engaging.
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Handouts
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Names of Team Members: __________________________________________________
Period: _________________________________________________________________
Ad Analysis Sheet
1. Go to The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 collection
(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/advertising/) on the Library of
Congress site.
In the left panel, find “Browse Collection by:”. You can use the Subject or Category
link to look through the examples of advertising from the past collection of
advertising.
2. Select a subject or category to explore. Remember that your team will be comparing
and contrasting the choice you make with two ads in the same subject or category
from a contemporary magazine.
3. Choose two ads from the same subject and/or category. Save them to your project
folder. Find two ads from magazine you read that are in the same category. Scan
them and save the file to the project directory.
4. Analyze the ads to select two themes that are reflected in all four ads. You will be
using these themes to create a digital story with Photo Story 3.
Theme
How Used in LOC Ads
How Used in
Contemporary Ads
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Names of Team Members: __________________________________________________
Period: _________________________________________________________________
Citation Worksheet
Use the table below to keep track of the information you use from different sources. You
will need this information to properly cite your research in the digital story.
PRIMARY
SOURCE
CITATION
DESCRIPTION
URL
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Names of Team Members: __________________________________________________
Period: _________________________________________________________________
Feedback Form
Team Presenting: _________________________________________________________
Things We Liked
Things We Learned
Thing We Would Change
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