“Don’t tell me how good you make it; tell me how good it makes me when I use it.”
- Leo Burnett, creator of Tony the Tiger, the Marlboro Man, the Maytag Man, and many other famous advertising characters and campaigns
1. Authorship
Who created this message?
What is this?
How is this put together?
2. Format
What creative techniques are used to attract my
attention? What do I see and hear? Smell? Touch or taste? What
do I like or dislike about this?
3. Audience
How might different people understand this message
differently? What do I think and feel about this? What might other
people think and feel about this?
4. Content
What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented
in, or omitted from, this message? What does this tell me about how other people live
and believe? Is anything or anyone left out?
5. Purpose
Why is this message being sent? Is this trying to sell me something? Is this trying to tell me something?
Further Resources
"Media literacy is not just important, it's absolutely critical. It's going to make the difference between whether kids are a tool of the mass media or whether the mass media is a tool for kids to use." - Linda Ellerbee
