11 August 2008

MINUTES

Media Smart Expert Group Meeting

11 August 2008, Offices of APCO, London

Attendees:
Fiona Lennox, Ofcom
Simon White, DCMS
David Buckingham, IOE
Stephanie Lvovich, Secretariat
Charlotte Hughes, Secretariat

Apologies:
Paul Jackson, Media Smart Chairman
Richard Cornish, Hasbro
Marina Palomba, IPA (Media Smart Director)
Jenny Grahame, English and Media Centre
Rebekah Willett, IOE
John Potter, IOE
Jane Geraghty, DCFS

1. Welcome and introductions

1.1. The group was thanked for the time taken to attend the meeting and to review the
materials in advance. Media Smart is extremely grateful to be able to incorporate the
group’s insights into the next set of Media Smart lessons.

1.2. The minutes of the discussion will be circulated to the Expert Group and those who are
not present at today’s meeting will be asked to provide their comments.

1.3. Action: Charlotte will follow up with Jenny and John via phone.

2. Update on Media Smart

2.1. The Secretariat presented an update on Media’s Smart’s progress since the group last
met including a description of the differing drafting processes for Be Adwise and Be
Adwise 2.

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3. Vision for the new materials

3.1. The new materials will be accessed online and aimed at primary schools. They will
include Key Stage 1 and 2 but we anticipate them being used with children in the upper
region of this bracket - 8-11 year olds. We would like them to be interactive and
thought-provoking. 10-12 lessons for classroom, mapped to curriculum, activity sheets,
teachers notes, etc.

4. Discussion on the draft materials

4.1. The list of marketing techniques should also cover:

• Cookies - data mining needs to be included
• Behavioural marketing and social networking sites

4.2. The website will also include key documents in the field of online advertising and
children. The Secretariat will collate these documents. The latest study from Katherine
Montgomery will be reviewed.

4.3. Technology and ICT

• A digital divide exists in the classroom and heavy internet filters are in place. For
example, social networking sites are blocked in some schools.
• Whiteboards are widespread now and the materials should be useable for this method
of teaching. There used to be a structure that helped teachers use whiteboards
(National Whiteboard Network?) which we will get in touch with. We need to model
our materials based on an assumption of the use of the whiteboard.
• Some tasks will involve free surfing on the internet – but specific examples will be
mocked up websites with real advertising lifted and inserted.
• We will recommend a number of websites that will hopefully get through the filters.
• The Glow network in Scotland is an example of a network to which the majority of
schools are connected. The Secretariat will research this. Elsewhere, there does not
seem to be one system/set of standard for schools filtering of the internet.
• Do pupils learn about internet safety before they can do any surfing at school?
• We will be very careful about the topics we use – focusing on either children’s or
family products – not teenager-focused products/themes.
• ICT language will have to be included and the language used will be selected
carefully. It should also match the language used in ICT teaching.
• The lessons need to take into account what teachers have done before on ICT before
they come to the Media Smart material. What is a pop up? What is a search engine?
We must include and introduce this sort of terminology and ensure that we know
where it comes in the curriculum. It would be preferable for Media Smart’s lessons
to come after this to avoid raising areas that teachers have no idea about.
• The Secretariat will get in touch with BECTA (Ruth Hammond) to see what they
think teachers know on these issues. There is national teacher training, but it focuses
on functionality.

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4.4. Use of real advertising

• Real advertising will be included. A ‘disclaimer’ explaining why will be included

due to the sensitivities around online marketing.
• There will be some parents who don’t want their children to engage in internet.
• We will again seek permission from brand owners.

4.5. Coordination with the results of the Byron Review

• We need to ensure that the materials are linked to any relevant outcomes of the Byron
Review. Media Smart’s materials must fit in to any new
schemes/structures/curriculum points.
• Discussion of internet safety focuses on protection from abuse and pornography but
needs to be wider. A coherent internet safety programme should also cover giving out
personal information.
• Action: Charlotte will follow up with Simon to arrange a meeting with the team
working on this.

4.6. Providing guidance for teachers

• The materials must provide a great deal of guidance for teachers. The discussion
model in Be Adwise 2, providing a range of statements to consider, left teachers
looking for right and wrong answers which demonstrates the lack of experience that
they have in this field. While we absolutely want to avoid telling teachers what to say
this does indicate the support that the teachers notes must provide.
• We should create a video for teachers to educate them on using the pack and what the
pack is trying to achieve.

4.7. The big questions

• We need to ask ourselves how much is this about advertising? This is really
about the commercial world and its presence online. It is about branding and
how they communicate online, more than advertising.
• It is not so much about recognising advertising – it is about marketing and
promotion rather than advertising in the old sense at all. Advertising is the
persuasive communication of a message to change attitudes or behaviour. Non-
commercial messages are the minority.
• The answers to simple questions (where do you see advertising online?) are
straightforward (banner ads, etc.) but how much do children understand that the
internet is a commercial medium? The line is blurry in sponsored online
environments. Children would not necessarily recognise branded sites as advertising.
• One way of addressing this is to ask how does anyone make money out of the
internet? David mentioned research from the US on Neopets that found that children
think that they were created purely for entertainment.

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• We should explore how does money work online? Why is google worth so much
money? A discussion on free content versus purchasing online should be included.
How does stuff get online, how do people make money out of the stuff there? Issues
include sponsorship, using a website like a store, etc. What is the function of
commercial advertising in this medium? Posting content online – why doesn’t
everyone get money for that?
• These ‘big issues’ are worth exploring at an early stage. The pupils and the teachers
need to really understand why they are doing the lessons.
• We need to add 2-3 broader lessons at the front of a pack that introduce the concept
that the internet is a commercial medium and explore how sites are different and why
some make money and others don’t.
• We need to have some broader principles that underpin the lessons – ‘The internet is
a commercial world’
• We need to uncouple our thinking from advertising – this is about marketing in its
widest sense. This needs to be addressed in over-arching diagnostic lessons. The
broader picture is very important.

4.8. Other comments

• ‘Behind the scenes’ film should cover a campaign with a number of techniques used
in one go. Why do you use different techniques with different audiences to achieve
different things? Viral ads are not effective for young children, etc. There are a series
of choices that are taken by the agency. Also include what these things cost.
Compared with TV advertising, it is incredibly cheap to do.
• There should not be a lesson on regulation. Instead, it will be referred to
throughout the lessons where relevant for example in the lesson which addresses
gathering personal information – the rules on privacy and data collection will be
included here.
• Did you know boxes will be included.
• A before and after questionnaire could be included to benchmark and measure
progress. It would have to be fun and short.

4.9. Key concerns identified by the group

• Privacy
• Fairness is a key concern, commercial intentions and setting out to persuade children
• Branding as an aspect of this – the forms of commercial messaging, building brand
awareness, feelings around the brand itself, etc.
• Obesity, Body image
• Pester power
• Bullying
• The perceived rise of materialism

5. Next steps

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5.1. We are hoping to launch the lessons as soon as possible and are currently working
towards late October. The script will be amended based on the discussion above and
circulated to the group before the end of August.