FTC's New Advertising Literacy Web Site

[Frank W. Baker]

Everywhere you look, you see advertisements—not just on TV and online, but on buses, buildings, and scoreboards. Many ads target kids ages 8 to 12.  Do your students have the critical thinking skills to understand ads, what they’re saying, and what they want kids to do?  To help you equip your students with these valuable skills, the FederalTrade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, has launched a campaign to teach kids about advertising. The Admongo campaign will help kids learn to ask three key “critical thinking”
questions when they encounter advertising:

• Who is responsible for the ad?
• What is the ad actually saying?
• What does the ad want me to do?

The Admongo campaign features: a game-based student website at Admongo.gov; sample ads for the classroom; and a free curriculum.
Together, these tools will help you build ad literacy skills in the classroom and beyond!