Financial Flair Activity 7:
Let's Go to Commercial

Activity Objective: Girls learn and practice marketing and communications skills.

Toward Leadership Outcomes:

Through this activity, girls will:

  • Gain practical life skills—Girls understand the concept of financial transactions on their lives. (Discover)
  • Promote cooperation and team building—Girls can build effective teams, learn to be accountable for their shared goals, and show recognition for others' accomplishments and contributions. (Connect)

Experience Overview:

  • 2 min. Introduction (Talking Points)
  • 45 min. Let's Go Commercial
  • 10 min. Reflection/Discussion

Supplies Needed:

  • Paper and pens or pencils (enough for each girl)

Prepare Ahead:

  • Read over the entire activity before meeting with girls.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

» Introduction (Talking Points) (2 minutes)

  • Say something like this: "Today we are going to work together to create an imaginary marketing plan for a business idea. Does anyone know what I mean by a 'marketing plan'?" (Marketing plan: a way to advertise) "What are different ways people advertise or market their business, whether it is a product or service?" (Billboards, newspaper ads, fliers, commercials, etc.)

» Let's Go to Commercial (45 minutes)

  • Distribute paper and pens or pencils.
  • Tell girls: "Today we are going to pretend that we have started our own business and brainstorm how best to advertise it. As a group, decide on an idea for a business." (What product or service do they want to provide?)
  • Ask girls: "What is your ideal customer profile? That is, to whom are you targeting your business? What are the characteristics of your ideal customer?"
  • Separate the club into two or more groups. Ask each group to:
    • Come up with a company name.
    • Create a short commercial (about one minute) for their company, reminding them that they should figure out how best to sell their product or service to their ideal customer. If they want to write a script, encourage them to be as creative as possible. Tell girls they will have about 10 minutes for this activity, and then they will be asked to perform their commercial for the other group or groups.
  • Ask each group to perform its commercial.

» Reflection Discussion (10 minutes)

Ask girls:

  • "What were some of the challenges working together as a group on your commercial?" (Remind girls that this question is not about individual personalities, but about things like coming to joint decisions or keeping on track.)
  • "How did you manage or address those challenges?"
  • "Do you think an entrepreneur needs to have good teamwork skills? Why or why not?"