Put students into groups of 2-3 and tell them they have just been hired as a digital-media agency. Their client has a ridiculous product, and they need to design an advertising campaign entirely on paper.
All you really need is paper and pencils/markers.
Give each group—or let them choose—a silly product such as:
Self-tying shoes for dogs
A backpack with a built-in refrigerator
Invisible umbrellas
Homework-eating robots
A phone case that makes excuses for you
Glow-in-the-dark cereal
A pillow that wakes you up
Deodorant for Bigfoot
A subscription box for dragons
A water bottle that compliments you
Their challenge
On one sheet of paper, they create a full-page advertisement containing:
1. Product name and logo
They need an original brand name and recognizable logo.
2. Slogan/tagline
Something short and memorable.
3. Main image
A drawing showing the product or showing someone using it.
4. Three selling points
Why would somebody actually want this ridiculous thing?
5. Call to action
“Order Today!” “Available This Fall!” etc.
6. Target audience
Somewhere on the back, they write who they're trying to convince to buy it.
5 min — Hook: Draw a terrible fake advertisement on the board. Something like:
MR. PRATT'S AMAZING ROCK™
It's literally a rock.
ONLY $79.99!
Ask: “What could I do to actually convince someone to buy this?”
5 min — Introduce the challenge
25 min — Groups design their ads
If a group has access to one computer, give them the optional role of Market Researcher. They can look up examples of advertisements, logos, fonts, color combinations, etc., but the final ad still has to be created by hand. That way, computers aren't necessary and having one doesn't give a group a huge advantage.
10 min — Gallery Walk / Pitch
Tape the ads around the room. Students walk around and look at them.
For an extra-fun ending, give everyone three imaginary $100 bills and ask:
“If these were real products, which three would you invest in?”
Other Ideas:
The Never-Lost Pencil — Screams when someone steals it.
Automatic Bed Maker — Makes your bed the second you get up.
Homework Translator — Turns teacher instructions into “kid language.”
Mood-Changing Hoodie — Changes color based on your mood.
Portable Personal Cloud — A tiny rain cloud that follows you around.
Instant Pizza Printer — Prints a hot pizza in 30 seconds.
The Anti-Sibling Force Field — Keeps siblings at least six feet away.
Snack-Sneaking Hoodie — Secret compartments for every possible snack.
Pet Translator — Finally find out what your dog or cat is actually thinking.
Automatic Locker Organizer — Cleans and organizes your locker overnight.
Teleporting Backpack — Forgot your homework? Summon it from home.
Dream Recorder — Records your dreams so you can watch them the next morning.
Never-Melting Ice Cream — Ice cream you can leave in the sun.
The Perfect Excuse Generator — Generates an excuse for any situation.
Self-Cleaning Bedroom Spray — One spray and your room cleans itself.
Pocket-Sized Clone — Sends a tiny version of you to do boring tasks.
Invisible Backpack — Holds everything but can't be seen.
Instant Hairstyle Helmet — Put it on for five seconds and your hair is done.
The Reverse Alarm Clock — Instead of making noise, it launches your pillow across the room.
Automatic Sock Matcher — Finds every missing sock and pairs it.
The Human Charging Station — Plug yourself in when you're tired.
Talking Lunchbox — Tells you whether you actually want what was packed.
Pocket Portal — Reach through it and grab something you left at home.
The Unspillable Cup — Absolutely impossible to spill.
Gravity-Off Shoes — Lets you walk on walls and ceilings.
The Awkward-Silence Button — Push it and something interesting immediately happens.
Instant Snow-Day Machine — Creates enough snow to cancel school. 😏
The Teacher Distraction Button — Changes the subject whenever homework is mentioned.
Infinite French Fry Box — The fries never run out.
The Monday Skipper — You go directly from Sunday to Tuesday.
Personal Theme-Song Speaker — Automatically plays dramatic music whenever you enter a room.
The Burrito Blanket 2.0 — Not only makes you look like a burrito, it keeps itself at the perfect temperature.
Backpack Jetpack — School backpack on weekdays, jetpack on weekends.
The Perfect Comeback Watch — Gives you the comeback you normally think of three hours later.
Automatic Pencil Sharpener Drone — Flies to you whenever your pencil breaks.
The Suspiciously Comfortable School Chair — A classroom chair that is somehow actually comfortable.