Alphabet Soup

Overview

The Why

Reinforced Values
Be Principled
Knowledge
Sound Judgment

The purpose of Alphabet Soup is to reinforce the importance of a recognizable logo. A logo is a recognizable graphic design element adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniforms, locations, etc. Often this includes a name, symbol, or trademark. Logos come in two basic forms:

• Abstract symbols: like the apple in Apple Computer
• Logotypes: a stylized rendition of the company’s name
  

Intro

Market observation is more than just a market research technique. The market is constantly changing; therefore, successful entrepreneurs train themselves to be observant, constantly listening, and watching the market including behaviors exhibited by businesses, individuals, and consumers. Observing the market is one important way each of us can seek knowledge and learn.  

To assess our observation skills, you will identify how many logos you recognize by only seeing a small piece. After you complete the activity, you will critically think about the importance of recognizable logos and consider why companies have chosen their logos.

Preparation

• Determine how you will share the activity with your students. 
• Review the Alphabet Soup Handout and modify it as needed. Remember to keep the handout downloaded in color as colors are important to a company’s brand. Decide how students will record their guesses.
  • Protip: Students are resourceful! You may need to cover the branding and/or title, modify the worksheet, consider how you ask students to engage, etc. so that students can’t Google and find the answer key on YE Academy or TeachEverywhere.
  • Option: You can share the Alphabet Soup Handout with students to record their guesses or create a different method of your own.

• Decide how you would like students to respond to any of the debrief questions after they complete the activity and how they would do so. 

• • Protip: Consistently discussing their observations will heighten students’ awareness of the concepts playing out in real-life in the market.
• Post the activity to your classroom platform for students to access and complete or schedule a video conference with your students to deliver virtually. 

Directions

NOTE: These directions are written for a collaborative session with students virtually – if not collaborating as a class virtually, you can post pieces of the directions online with the resources listed above.

• Do not share the handout with students until you are ready to start the timer!
• Tell your students that each letter of the alphabet is represented by a part of the logo of a company.
• They will have 5 minutes to identify as many of the letters as they possibly can. Encourage integrity – no cheating!
• They must write/type the name of the company they think is represented using whatever method you selected during your preparation.
• If you want to make it competitive, you can incentivize whoever gets the most correct.
  • Another option is whoever gets them all correct first wins.
• Once students understand the instructions, share the handout on your screen, and start the timer.
• After time is up, review each letter and the logo it belongs to. Ask students to keep track of how many they answered correctly.

ANSWER KEY:

A. Starburst

B. Arby’s

C. Campbell’s

D. Denny’s

E. Extra Gum

F. Facebook

G. General Mills

H. Holiday Inn

I. Ritz Crackers

J. Jansport

K. Kellogg’s

L. Lipton

M. McDonald’s

N. Nestle

O. Coca-Cola

P. Applebee’s

Q. Quiznos

R. Gatorade

S. Sprint

T. Twizzlers

U. Subaru

V. Velveeta

W. Walmart

X. Twix

Y. York Peppermint Patties

Z. Pizza Hut

• If you made it a competition, determine which student answered the most correct and award them their incentive.

Debrief

Students can complete the debrief on paper by answering the following questions or in a group setting via Zoom (either as a full class or in breakouts) to discuss their learnings.

• Was this easy for you? Why or why not?
• How did Knowledge help you in this activity?
• Do you see a common color among the logos on the worksheet? Why do you think that is?
• All of these examples are logotypes. Do these companies have an abstract symbol that typically accompanies their logotype? Why do you think a company might do that?
• Are any of these logotypes outdates? Do you think it is a positive or negative thing when a company regularly updates its logo? Explain.
• Why was it important that you were Being Principled during this activity? How would a lack of Being Principled impact the results?