This document outlines the assignments for a COMM 101H mass media course, including a reflective advertising survey project, an in-class presentation on the documentary "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold", and a research paper examining how one of the seven major mass media channels has significantly shaped culture. It provides discussion questions on the relationship between advertising and media content and on subliminal advertising techniques. It concludes by noting an upcoming 71-question final exam pulled from prior chapter quizzes and class materials.

1. • COMM 101H Understanding Mass Media:
*Reflective Project #4: Mass
Media Advertising Survey
*The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
*Subliminal Advertising

2. • MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING SURVEY
• Please keep close track of and count to the best
of your ability how many advertisements you
encounter in ONE day/24-hour period via the 7
major MASS MEDIA CHANNELS:
• Print
Recordings
Cinema/Film
Radio
TV
Internet/Video Games
Mobile
REFLECTIVE PROJECT #4

3. • Then you are to report on these four areas in this format (divided into
four separate sections):
• (A) HOW MANY ADS OF ALL TYPES/MEDIA DID YOU SEE AND IN WHAT
MEDIA DID YOU SEE THEM?
• (B) WHICH SPECIFIC AD WAS THE "BEST/SMARTEST/MOST
EFFECTIVE"? WHICH SPECIFIC AD WAS THE "WORST/STUPIDEST/LEAST
EFFECTIVE"?
• (C) DID ANY ADS SEEM PARTICULARLY DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU FEEL
BAD/WORSE ABOUT YOURSELF IN SOME WAY? IF SO, WHICH ONES
AND IN WHAT WAY?
• (D) YOUR PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING
AND ITS ROLE IS SOCIETY AND CULTURE
REFLECTIVE PROJECT #4

4. IN-CLASS MEDIA PRESENTATION
POM Wonderful Presents: The
Greatest Movie Ever Sold is a
2011 documentary film about
product placement, marketing,
and advertising directed by
Morgan Spurlock. The premise
behind the production is that
the documentary itself would be
entirely paid for by sponsors,
thus being a form of metafilm.
The film's slogan is "He's not
selling out, he's buying in."

5. IN-CLASS MEDIA PRESENTATION
MAIN TOPIC: The HYPER-
COMMERCIALIZATION OF MEDIA:
= The excessive use of capitalism
in media to obtain success and
profit with an extreme emphasis
on commerce; The media are
becoming increasingly
subservient to the advertisers'
desires to alter the awareness,
attitudes, and behaviors of
consumers in the media
marketplace.

6. IN-CLASS MEDIA PRESENTATION
*DOCUMENTARY
TYPE:
Observational?
Participatory?
Performative?
*PARTICIPATORY
DOCUMENTARY

7. IN-CLASS MEDIA PRESENTATION
NARRATION TYPE:
Voice-Over Narrator?
Silent Narration?
Hosted Narrator?
NARRATION:
HOSTED NARRATOR

8. 1.) How did this documentary impact the way you think
about the role of advertising in mass media production?
In other words, what do think the relationship between
advertising and mass media content should be like?
2.) Do you think some areas in culture/society should be
off-limits to advertising? If so, which ones and why?
3.) What did you learn from doing REFLECTIVE PROJECT
#4 (Mass Media Advertising Survey)? How does any of
that correspond with THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

9. •THE GROWING USE OF NEUROMARKETING –
Studying brain activity such as dopamine
release to craft the “perfect” ad by
manipulating consumers
•THE COMMERCIAL INSTINCT doesn’t know
boundaries and it doesn’t know limits – it will
continue to spread unless people stop it – it
will never stop itself
THINKING POINTS

10. •FAME/VISIBILITY = CREDIBILITY
the more visible you and your brand are,
the more credible you will be in the eyes
of the consumer…is there any logical
reason this equation has to be true?
Does VISIBILITY automatically =
CREDIBILITY?
•Credibility = the quality of being trusted
and believed in.
THINKING POINTS

11. •Some media theorists/critics
would argue Advertising is
basically nothing BUT media
hoaxes - here are some tricks
advertisers use to make things look
as appetizing and attractive as
possible…
MEDIA HOAXING IN ADVERTISING

12. • The word subliminal means "below the threshold,"
and refers to items that are presented too fast
and/or too hidden to be noticed consciously
• 10 ADVERTISING EXAMPLES
• The first “study” by James Vickery in 1957 to prove
that Subliminal Advertising “worked” was revealed
to be a fabricated hoax as he did no experiment and
had no real data/results.
• Nevertheless, the perception that subliminal
messaging works persists (just google “Subliminal
Messages” to see what I mean)…enjoy that rabbit
hole!
SUBLIMINIAL ADVERTISING

13. • The latest research seems to tell us this:
•Subliminal Advertising CAN have some
effects on your choices, though it will
NOT turn you into a robot. First,
subliminal ads only have an effect if you
are already motivated to pursue said
goal. So, the subliminal ad will not
make you do something you don’t
already want to do.
SUBLIMINIAL ADVERTISING

14. • The latest research seems to tell us this:
•Secondly, subliminal ads have their
strongest effect when they make it
easier for you to think about something
that is not normally your habit. That is,
the subliminal ads tend to favor the
underdog/less obvious personal choice.
SUBLIMINIAL ADVERTISING

15. •One way to consider Advertising is to look
at what the techniques used by
advertising that do work tells us about
ourselves…
WHAT ADVERTISING TELLS US…

16. • RESEARCH PAPER:
• USING STANDARD MLA GUIDELINES COMPOSE A RESEARCH PAPER APPROXIMATELY 7-PAGES
/ 2,000 WORDS IN LENGTH USING AT LEAST 3 CREDIBLE, PUBLISHED, AND LEGITIMATE
SOURCES BASED ON THIS TOPIC:
• CHOOSE AN EXAMPLE OF/FROM ONE OF THE SEVEN MAJOR MASS MEDIA CHANNELS AND
EXAMINE HOW IT HAS SHAPED CULTURE IN WHAT YOU DETERMINE TO BE A
SIGNIFICANT/MEANINGFUL/IMPORTANT WAY.
• FOR INSTANCE, YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT HOW MOVIES AS A MASS MEDIA CHANNEL SHAPED
CULTURE IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY, OR YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT HOW A SPECIFIC MASS MEDIA
MESSAGE LIKE “STAR WARS” SHAPED CULTURE IN A SIGNIFICANT/MEANINGFUL/IMPORTANT
WAY.
• CONSIDER ALL THE TOPICS WE'VE COVERED IN CLASS/YOUR MATERIAL THIS SEMESTER AND
PICK SOMETHING YOU ARE TRULY INTERESTED IN! SIMPLY BEING POPULAR IS NOT ENOUGH
OF A REASON TO CHOOSE A TOPIC – YOU MUST MAKE A CASE THAT IT SHAPED CULTURE IN
A SIGNIFICANT/MEANINGFUL/IMPORTANT WAY
• FINAL EXAM:
• The COMM 101H Final Exam is a 71-question test pulled directly from previous chapter
quizzes as well as in-class media presentations and discussion.
• This Course Assessment/Final Exam is worth 25% of your total semester grade.
LOOKING AHEAD…