Read the three General Electric Refrigerator advertisements. Each has a different approach to why the new refrigerators were necessary and were better than those of the competition. After reading the advertisements, complete the worksheet in complete sentences.

1.  What do the three advertisements have in common?

2.  For what audience were the three advertisements created? Why were they created?

3.  What basic information is missing in all three advertisements? Why do you think it was not 
     included?

4. What is the basic purpose of advertising? How is this presented in these three advertisements?


1.  What is the specific purpose of this advertisement?

2.  In what ways does the document state meals would be different due to refrigeration?

3.  Examine the drawing in this advertisement. What is the particular audience at which it is aimed? Give evidence from the drawing to support your response.

4.  List the reasons why you would have to visit the General Electric display room.

5.  Using the advertisement, list four design features that, according to General Electric, made this model “modern” compared to others on the market.

1.  List five facts the authors of this advertisement tell you about their product.

2. How does the approach of this advertisement differ from “It’s Easy to Plan Meals Now”?

3.  What are some ways in which the creators of this advertisement believe the General Electric 

     B. An economic necessity for the home

4.     According to this advertisement, how would this refrigerator make life “entirely different”?

1.  What is the particular message of this advertisement?

2.  At what social class is this document aimed? Use information found in the advertisement to support your answer.  

3.  What is the underlying message of the imagery used in this advertisement?

4.  Why do you think this advertisement stresses the importance of preservation of freshness of food?

5.  What does the term “hermetically sealed” mean? Why do you believe this was important?

6.   What is a monogram? What is a word we use today instead of monogram? Give some modern examples.

7.  The advertisement explains the significance of the General Electric monogram. What do the creators of this document want the viewer to think of when they see the General Electric

8.  Collect current examples of refrigerator advertisements from newspapers and magazines. Write      an essay on a separate sheet of paper discussing the similarities and differences between the         modern advertisement and the one from the 1920s.

9.  Using art supplies, design your own advertisement for a refrigerator.

General Electric ran an aggressive advertising campaign to stress the improvements of their new refrigeration units. Advertising became an essential element in the transformation to the consumer economy, attempting to demonstrate to the buying public the need for the refrigerator in every home. Each of these three advertisements portrays a different positive aspect of the refrigerator. 

 Slide: "Two Market Days a Week" from GE refrigeration marketing campaign, 1926. By being able to refrigerate and store food, a person could reduce the number of shopping trips.

         Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Art

         Copies of three different advertisements

         1. To gather information from an historical document.

         2. To work cooperatively in groups.

         3. To compare different styles of advertisement.

         4. To present findings and opinions from analysis of example of advertisement.

         5. To learn to identify the role of advertisement.

         6. To use art to design an advertisement.

         1. Form the students into cooperative learning groups, assigning each member a task.

         2. Distribute copies of the three examples of advertisements.

         3. Distribute a copy of the worksheet to each student.

         4. The students work in their group analyzing the three advertisements.

         5. When complete, each student is to complete his or her worksheet.

         6. A class discussion follows with each group contributing their analysis and opinions.

         7. Each student collects refrigerator advertisements from magazines.

         8. The students are to write a comparison of the 1920s advertisement and the modern one, comparing and contrasting them.

         9. The students are to use art supplies to design their own refrigerator advertisement.

Standards for Documents 3,4, and 5: Comparing Three General Electric Advertisements