Like my title says, ads are powerful, so you guys should write about the affects on younger boys that ads have since your question was "how does marketing affect the self esteem of American men?" The way you should present your unessay is by creating a short story about different types of kids (male of course to focus on your question). For example, one of the boys can be one who sits in front of the TV and plays video games non stop while another can be an outdoorsy kid who doesn't like to watch much TV and show how their two different experiences with ads affects them growing up. Whether you're focusing on the mental side of it or the physical side of it is up to you.
You guys did a great job in capturing my attention. I loved all the visuals which is exactly what you need for a presentation on advertisement so I don't think a magazine or newspaper article would work because it is a lot of writing and not a lot of pictures. I also didn't realize how little information that ads give. It is mostly just the celebrity or whoever it is, trying to make me feel a certain way about that product. They don't really give me a reason for why I should like that product. Way to go and best of luck on your unessays!
Jocelyn Pitlick