How Advertising Tries to Get Your Money
Aligned to JS:FD-4 — Jump$tart National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education & Advance CTE Career Clusters.
What this lesson teaches
Ads are made by people who are paid to make you want something. They are not lying, usually — but they show you the best possible version and leave out the rest. Noticing the technique makes it much easier to decide for yourself.
Worked examples
Example 1
A toy ad shows the toy moving fast with exciting music, and in small print says 'batteries not included' and 'some assembly required.'
Example 2
'Nine out of ten people prefer it' sounds strong until you ask: ten out of how many asked, and who paid for the survey?
Example 3
An influencer showing a product may have been paid to. That does not make the product bad, but it does mean it is an ad, not a recommendation.
Practice questions
- Watch one ad and name two things it does to make you want the product.
- Find the small print in an ad. What does it say?
- How would you check whether a claim in an ad is true?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Cómo la publicidad busca tu dinero
Los anuncios los hacen personas a las que les pagan por hacerte querer algo. Normalmente no mienten — pero te muestran la mejor versión posible y dejan fuera el resto. Notar la técnica hace mucho más fácil decidir por ti mismo.
Ejemplo 1: Un anuncio de un juguete lo muestra moviéndose rápido con música emocionante, y en letra chica dice 'pilas no incluidas' y 'requiere armado'.
Ejemplo 2: 'Nueve de cada diez personas lo prefieren' suena fuerte hasta que preguntas: diez de cuántos preguntados, y quién pagó la encuesta.
Ejemplo 3: Un influencer que muestra un producto pudo haber cobrado por hacerlo. Eso no hace malo al producto, pero sí lo convierte en anuncio, no en recomendación.
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