American Studies II
Ad Agency Project / 1

Ad Agency Project

To Whom It May Concern:

The prestigious media company, Frieggé Inc., is looking to partner with an outside ad agency on a new propaganda initiative. Frieggé Inc. has developed three possible campaigns to use for this initiative. Your task is to choose one of the campaigns and develop a proposal that will convince Frieggé Inc. to work with your agency.

You and your partner(s) will create two samples of your agency’s work. You will write a written proposal explaining your work and how it relates to the specific campaign on which you are working. In addition, you will present your ads and campaign to a panel of Frieggé Inc. representatives.

The unit that will accompany this project is World War I and the beginning of World War II. You will be assessed on your ability to apply your knowledge of these events into a convincing advertisement that reflects your campaign. For example, if I was creating a poster for the enlistment campaign, and I wanted to use the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I would not make a poster simply depicting the event itself. Instead, I would use elements from the event as a way to convince someone why they should enlist in the army.

Campaign Choices

All campaigns can be for either World War I OR World War II.

Enlistment Campaign—Your goal is to get people to enlist in the United States Army. The campaign should make reference to specific events that would require the United States to need people to enlist.

Neutrality Campaign—Your goal through this campaign is to tell the people why the United States does not need to go to war. This campaign should make reference to specific events and historical reasoning for why the United States should remain neutral.

War Campaign—Your goal is to show the American people why going to war is necessary. In other words, this is the opposite of the neutrality campaign. Convince the people through reference to specific events why going to war is necessary.

Ad Agency Project (Continued)

Project Breakdown

Part 1—Ads (Pick 2)—You and your partner(s) will create two pieces to showcase in your campaign. Each should showcase different elements and events that relate back to your campaign topic. Be creative!

  • Political cartoon
  • Propaganda poster
  • Video advertisement
  • Jingle/song
  • Other (Must be approved)

Part 2—Written Proposal—Your agency is responsible for writing a 2-page proposal explaining how your advertisements fit the campaign. Consider the following in writing your proposal:

  • Who is your target audience?
  • How do your ads relate back to the campaign you’ve chosen? Use specific examples and references to different related events.
  • This is a persuasive piece but it should also be factual! This means you should be writing in 3rd person! (This piece represents the campaign because...)

Part 3—Oral Presentation/Proposal—You will have 3 minutes to present the materials that your agency has created to your potential clients. Consider the following when planning and presenting:

  • Dress professionally! You want to make a good impression on your clients!
  • Presentation skills—Make eye contact, speak clearly and loud enough for everyone to hear, etc.
  • All ad executives must contribute to the presentation! Whether there are two or three of you, everyone should be involved and speaking in the presentation!
  • Be persuasive! Sell your campaign to your clients!
  • Did they have PowerPoints in the early 20th century? No! Your presentation should only utilize resources that would have been available to use during this time period.

Ad Agency Project (Continued)

Grading Rubric

Deliverable / Total Points Available / Points Earned/Comments
Advertisements
Students turn in two different advertisements that reflect their campaign and also show an understanding of the applied knowledge. / 10 Points
Written Proposal
The written proposal is 2 pages in length and reflects the advertisements created. The written proposal makes clear reference to the selected campaign and shows a thoughtful application of knowledge that has been learned in class. / 20 Points
Presentation
Everyone in the group participates effectively in the presentation and is dressed in professional attire. The ideas of the campaign were communicated effectively. / 10 Points
Presentation Questions
Students are active listeners during other groups’ presentations and came up with meaningful and thoughtful questions to ask. / 5 Points
Blog Posts
Students create two blog posts: one as a mid-project progress report and one after presentations. These posts will demonstrate that students worked collaboratively and shared responsibilities throughout the project. / 5 Points