Compare Advertising Channels | Advertising Lesson Plan

Q: What is an advertising channel?

A channel is where an ad appears: a billboard, a social media feed, a video before a show, a radio spot, a flyer. Each channel reaches different people for a different length of time, so the same product needs a different ad in each. Choosing and adapting channels is a core skill in Principles of Marketing courses.

Q: What is a call to action?

A call to action is the one thing an ad asks the viewer to do next: scan a code, tap a link, visit a table, tell a parent. Every ad in this activity needs one, and students often notice it must change by channel. You can't tap a billboard, and students watching the announcements can't buy.

Same Product, Three Channels - Marketing and Advertising Example

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

The same message doesn't work everywhere. A driver passing a billboard has about three seconds; someone scrolling social media decides in one or two; a viewer of a video spot may watch for thirty. In this activity, students take one product and design its ad for three channels, then compare what changes: who sees it, how long they look, how much the ad can say, and what the call to action asks them to do.

If your class did the Go-to-Market Strategy activity in our Entrepreneurship teacher guide, that activity chose where to sell. This one is about how the message changes from one channel to the next.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: Buyer Persona Poster and Brand Identity Poster.
Key terms: channel (where an ad appears), reach (how many people see it), call to action (the one thing the ad asks the viewer to do next).
Time needed: 45–60 minutes.
Assessment: the three ads share one brand and message, each one is designed for how its channel is seen, and the comparison uses the same criteria for every channel.

The Comparison

CRITERIA	BILLBOARD: BANNER AT THE SCHOOL PICK-UP LINE	SOCIAL MEDIA: SHORT VIDEO POST	VIDEO SPOT: MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Who sees it	Parents waiting in the car line.	Parents who follow the school's page.	Every student, every morning for a week.
How long they look	About 3 seconds.	1–2 seconds unless the first frame hooks them.	A full 30 seconds.
The message	Seven words or fewer: "Lost it? TagBack it. $10 for 25."	The overflowing lost-and-found bin, then the label being scanned.	The full story from the commercial storyboard.
Call to action	Scan the big QR code on the banner.	Tap the link to order.	"Tell your parents: order on the PTA page."

What changed: the shorter the time, the fewer the words. The banner keeps only the slogan and price; the video tells the whole story. The video spot reaches students, who can't buy, so its call to action asks them to tell a parent.

Differentiation

Grades 9–12 and DECA: add a row for cost, and decide which single channel you would pay for with a $50 budget.
Support: give students the three channels and a word limit for each.

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that compares one product's ad in three different channels.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
At the top of each column, name the channel: a billboard, a social media post, and a video spot.
Design the ad for each channel using the same brand and message.
For each channel, describe who sees it, how long they look, and the call to action.
In the last row, explain what you changed for each channel and why.
Save and submit your storyboard.

Same Product, Three Channels - Marketing and Advertising Template

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Compare and Contrast with T-Charts

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Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: Buyer Persona Poster and Brand Identity Poster.
Key terms: channel (where an ad appears), reach (how many people see it), call to action (the one thing the ad asks the viewer to do next).
Time needed: 45–60 minutes.
Assessment: the three ads share one brand and message, each one is designed for how its channel is seen, and the comparison uses the same criteria for every channel.

The Comparison

CRITERIA	BILLBOARD: BANNER AT THE SCHOOL PICK-UP LINE	SOCIAL MEDIA: SHORT VIDEO POST	VIDEO SPOT: MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Who sees it	Parents waiting in the car line.	Parents who follow the school's page.	Every student, every morning for a week.
How long they look	About 3 seconds.	1–2 seconds unless the first frame hooks them.	A full 30 seconds.
The message	Seven words or fewer: "Lost it? TagBack it. $10 for 25."	The overflowing lost-and-found bin, then the label being scanned.	The full story from the commercial storyboard.
Call to action	Scan the big QR code on the banner.	Tap the link to order.	"Tell your parents: order on the PTA page."

Differentiation

Grades 9–12 and DECA: add a row for cost, and decide which single channel you would pay for with a $50 budget.
Support: give students the three channels and a word limit for each.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that compares one product's ad in three different channels.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
At the top of each column, name the channel: a billboard, a social media post, and a video spot.
Design the ad for each channel using the same brand and message.
For each channel, describe who sees it, how long they look, and the call to action.
In the last row, explain what you changed for each channel and why.
Save and submit your storyboard.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Compare and Contrast with T-Charts

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How to Compare One Ad Across Three Channels

Define channel, reach, and call to action

Give students the three key terms and one example of each before they start.

Pick three channels

Students choose a billboard, a social media post, and a video spot that their persona would actually see.

Design each ad

Using one brand and message, students design an ad that fits how each channel is seen.

Fill in the comparison rows

For each channel, students describe who sees it, how long they look, the message, and the call to action.

Explain what changed

In the last row, students explain what they changed for each channel and why.

Frequently Asked Questions about Comparing Advertising Channels

What is an advertising channel?

A channel is where an ad appears: a billboard, a social media feed, a video before a show, a radio spot, a flyer. Each channel reaches different people for a different length of time, so the same product needs a different ad in each. Choosing and adapting channels is a core skill in Principles of Marketing courses.

Why does the message change from channel to channel?

Because attention changes. A driver passes a billboard in about three seconds, so it can hold only a few words. A scroller decides in one or two seconds whether to stop, so the first frame matters most. A viewer of a video spot may watch for thirty seconds, which leaves room for a story.

What is a call to action?

A call to action is the one thing an ad asks the viewer to do next: scan a code, tap a link, visit a table, tell a parent. Every ad in this activity needs one, and students often notice it must change by channel. You can't tap a billboard, and students watching the announcements can't buy.

How is this different from the Go-to-Market Strategy activity?

Go-to-Market Strategy, in our Entrepreneurship guide, decides where to sell and compares cost and risk. This activity keeps one product and one brand and focuses on how the ad itself changes in each channel. Used together, students first choose their channels, then design the ad for each one.

How should I grade the channel comparison?

Give points for three ads that share one brand and message, for each ad being designed for how its channel is seen (word count, first frame, story), and for consistent criteria across channels. The "what changed" row is the best evidence of understanding, so weight it most heavily.