• Provide students with an overview of the activity prior
to viewing The Corporation so that they can take appropriate
notes. Consider providing a template to assist them in recording relevant
information.
• View only the section of The Corporation on stealth
marketing. Clarify terminology such as stealth, consumer, and product
placement with students ikf they have not been exposed to these terms.
Generate a class list of stealth marketing they know of, such as examples
in the film, product placement in movies and on television, logos on
clothing, street marketing, etc.
• Ask students to discuss the following questions, either
as a small or large group:
- Is stealth marketing ethical? Why or why not?
- As a consumer, do you have a right to know when you're
the target of marketing?
- Should consumers have any specific skills or knowledge
to deal with such marketing efforts? Why or why not? If so, what sorts
of skills or knowledge?
- Is stealth marketing a form of communication? Why or why
not?
- How do you think consumers would react if they were told
that they were victims of stealth marketing?
• Students will attempt to get more definitive answers to
the questions above by engaging in stealth marketing at school. In groups
of four or five, have students develop a "stealth marketing" plan for
a specific product or service. They should create a one-page summary
that describes:
- What they hope to achieve (e.g., create brand awareness
of a particular drink, persuade others to purchase an object, etc.).
This must be measurable - they cannot seek brand awareness of a product
that most "targets" already know
- How they plan to achieve this (e.g., through a conversation,
through product placement in a particular environment, etc.) and why
they think this will be successful
- Who they plan to target
• Have students enact their stealth marketing plans at lunchtime
or between classes. At least one student in each group will be the "observer"
and take notes, while others may participate in the marketing effort.
At the end, students should interview their "targets" to find out if:
- They met their objectives
- How the target felt about being the victim of marketing
without knowing
• Students should summarize their notes, and draw conclusions
about the experience based on the outcomes
• Facilitate a class debrief so that students can share their experiences
and conclusions.
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