Seeing Science in Advertising

Overview

1. Select an advertisement (TV, online, print, or social media) that makes a scientific or measurable product claim (see some examples below).
2. Sample commercials are provided below as examples, but you MUST CHOOSE YOUR OWN. Then, provide a proper reference for the advertisement that you have chosen.
   • Bounty Paper Towels:
   • Charmin Toilet Paper:
   • Flex Tape:
3. Apply the scientific method to evaluate the claim:
   • State the hypothesis based on the ad's claim.
   • Design an experiment to test the claim.
   • Identify independent, dependent, and control variables.
4. Analyze how conclusions could be drawn from such an experiment. Could it be repeated for consistent results?
5. Suggest other claims (from the same or different products) that could be scientifically tested.
6. Reflect & Write on how scientific thinking helps consumers avoid misinformation by completing all steps above. Be sure to reference the grading rubric to understand the grading criteria and the benchmarks you must meet to earn the maximum number of points.