Marketing and Branding — slides
Financial Literacy Club
Entrepreneurship · Lesson 6
Marketing and Branding
Getting attention honestly, and what a brand really is.
12-minute lesson · learnwithflc.org
Marketing and Branding · 1 / 19
Financial Literacy Club
Entrepreneurship · Lesson 6
Marketing and Branding
Getting attention honestly, and what a brand really is.
12-minute lesson · learnwithflc.org
Today's goals
By the end of class, you'll be able to…
- Answer who, where, and what for a marketing plan
- Write messages about the customer's problem instead of product features
- Explain honest promotion, including disclosing paid or gifted posts
Warm-up
Think of an ad that actually convinced you to try something. Why did it work?
Think, then write your answer.
The big idea
Marketing and Branding
Getting attention honestly, and what a brand really is.
Entrepreneurship · Lesson 6
Marketing is how people find out about you and why they'd care. It answers three questions: who are you trying to reach, where do they pay attention, and what message will matter to them?
Entrepreneurship · Lesson 6
Channels students often use: word of mouth, social media, school events, flyers, partnerships with clubs or teams, and referrals. Pick the few your target customers actually use.
Vocabulary
Social proof
Evidence that other people use and like what you offer — reviews, testimonials, before-and-after photos, customer counts. It's persuasive because it's real.
Vocabulary
Brand
The promise people expect from you and the feeling they associate with you. A name, logo, and colors help, but a brand is built by delivering the same experience again and again.
Entrepreneurship · Lesson 6
Keep it honest
Never fake reviews or exaggerate results. If you give someone free products or pay them to post, the Federal Trade Commission expects that connection to be clearly disclosed (like "#ad").
See it
Who: the specific target customer. Where: the channels they actually use. What: the message that speaks to their problem.
- 1
Who?
Your specific target customer.
- 2
Where?
The places they actually pay attention.
- 3
What?
A message about their problem, not your features.
Real example
Marcus's before-and-after strategy
- Who: students with white sneakers who care how they look at events.
- Where: a school-focused social account, the weekend market, and sports teams' group chats (with permission).
- What: "Event-ready sneakers in 24 hours" — speaking to the real pain, not to his cleaning supplies.
His best marketing turns out to be before-and-after photos (with customers' permission) and a referral deal: $2 off for every friend you send. Customers do the marketing for him.
Activity · pairs · 10 min
Rewrite the Ad
- Show a feature-focused ad: “We use premium brushes and eco-friendly soap. Book now!”
- Pairs rewrite it around the customer's problem and result, in under 20 words.
- Pairs choose one place their target customer already spends time and explain why.
- Pairs add one piece of honest social proof they could collect.
Check for understanding · 1 of 3
Which marketing message is strongest?
- A"We use premium microfiber brushes."
- B"Buy now!"
- C"Event-ready sneakers in 24 hours."
- D"We're the best."
C. "Event-ready sneakers in 24 hours."
It speaks to the customer's problem and outcome, not to features or empty claims.
Check for understanding · 2 of 3
You give an influencer free products and they post about them.
What should the post include?
- ANothing — free products don't count.
- BA clear disclosure, like "#ad" or "gifted," so followers know the connection.
- CA fake discount code.
- DA claim that they bought it themselves.
B. A clear disclosure, like "#ad" or "gifted," so followers know the connection.
The FTC expects material connections like free products or payment to be clearly disclosed.
Check for understanding · 3 of 3
A brand is mostly just a logo and a color scheme.
- True
- False
False
A brand is the promise and experience people expect. Visuals help, but consistency builds it.
Remember
Key takeaways
- Who, where, what.
- Talk about the customer's problem, not your features.
- Real social proof beats clever ads.
- Brand = the promise you keep.
- Disclose paid or gifted promotions.
Discuss
Talk it over
- What's a brand you trust? What did it do to earn that?
- Where does your age group actually pay attention? How is that changing?
Exit ticket
What is a brand, according to the lesson?
Answer on your exit ticket before you leave.
Nice work today.
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