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Advertising: Pros and Cons
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Nowadays it’s quite clear that advertising is an essential and inevitable part of our life. You run into it everywhere: in the street, in magazines and newspapers, on the radio and TV. When you go out of the underground you can always see people delivering hand-bills, you can also find a lot of leaflets in your mailbox (especially during election campaigns). Usually we don’t read them and throw away, but after a while we may need them and won’t be able to find them.
Obviously advertising is not useless at all. First, it provides us with information about novelties on the market. Sometimes we can choose and have a product delivered without leaving home or even our comfortable arm-chair. There is another way of shopping – through the Internet, but it can be more expensive. If you want to compare prices, take some advertising newspaper. On the other hand, business can’t do without advertising: it helps producers and trade companies to promote their products and services on the market and increase their profits.
Surely advertising has a lot of drawbacks. First of all it often gets on the nerves, especially of old people who can’t buy expensive goods. Then, advertising creates a little problem: streets near metro stations are often covered with leaflets, and walls – with posters. A lot of people get irritated when their favorite film or program is interrupted by a commercial. Of course, they can go and make some tea or coffee during a break or make a phone call, but it’s not a great argument. The worst thing, to my mind, is that we are often misinformed about a product or service, its quality and price. All these bright words: “the best”, “the most useful”, “the most comfortable”, “the cheapest” and so on may turn out to be nothing but a lie. As a rule people realize it too late.
So I’d like to give some advice to advertisers.
- Try to reduce the number of ads at the expense of their quality.
- Advertising in Russia has some peculiarities, it appeals to quite a special audience – with a rather low living standard. So it’s no use advertising expensive products – not many people will be able to buy them. The cheaper advertised goods are, the more necessary for people they are, but still the quality of these products should be good so that the consumers would be satisfied.
- You should also keep in mind that almost each of us is living a busy life, sometimes we don’t even have enough time to have a snack and a cup of coffee or tea during a day, so it would be reasonable to provide advertisements with prices, telephone numbers, and addresses. It would save us much time and we would really appreciate it.
- Since the problem of unemployment is dramatically increasing nowadays it would be desirable for companies to place more advertisements for vacancies. The section “Job Opportunities” is extremely readable at present and is going to excite interest of young and adult people in future.
From a student’s composition.
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Preparing the Text
A. Studying the language
1. Find the appropriate translation to the following words.
Неизбежный
a) inevitable b) essential c) necessary d) incredible
Выборы
a) elections b) collection c) selection d) inspection
Кампания
a) company b) campaign c) camping d) champagne
Доставлять
a) to receive b) to believe c) to perceive d) to deliver
Недостаток
a) advantage b) drawback c) backward d) coward
Прерывать
a) abrupt b) corrupt c) bankrupt d) interrupt
Особенность
a) punctuality b) personality c) peculiarity d) popularity
Разумный
a) readable b) reasonable c) desirable d) irresistible
2. Match verbs and nouns to make a word combination.
| to place | home |
| to reduce | interest |
| to save | new products |
| to promote | an advertisement |
| to deliver | money |
| to excite | advertising expenses |
| to leave | a phone call |
| to have | a busy life |
| to make | a handbills |
| to live | a snack |
3. Translate into English.
a). Меня раздражает, когда через каждые пять минут показывают рекламу.
b). Мы можем заказать товар по телефону и через час получить его.
c). Чем дешевле и качественнее продукты, тем выше на них спрос.
d). Когда выходишь из метро, тебе постоянно суют какую-то рекламу.
e). Во время рекламы можно пойти и сварить кофе, но лучше переключиться на другой канал.
B. Studying the text
1. Match the two parts of the sentence.
1). One of the worst drawbacks of advertising is that …
2). If you want to compare prices …
3). It’s no use advertising expensive products …
4). As the problem of unemployment is increasing nowadays …
5). Business cannot do without advertising …
6). If a company gives misleading advertisement …
7). A lot of people get irritated …
a). … it helps companies to promote their products and services.
b). … when their program or film is interrupted by a commercial.
c). … it must be fined.
d). … we’re often misinformed about a product.
e). … not many people will be able to buy them.
f). … companies should place more advertisements for vacancies.
g). … take some advertising newspaper or a magazine.
2. Complete the sentences.
a). If you’re irritated with TV commercials …
b). If TV commercials were banned …
c). Advertising for cigarettes and alcohol drinks should be banned because…
d). We need commercial restrictions because …
e). Advertising appeared when …
C. Points for comments and discussion
1. Where can we run into advertisements today?
2. Do you usually take handbills delivered in the street?
3. What are the advantages and the drawbacks of advertisement?
4. Do advertisements sometimes get you to make a decision or to change it? When does it happen? What does it depend on?
Text 6
Advertising Tricks
Below you’ll find the list of techniques advertisers commonly use to persuade us to buy their products.
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| Association of ideas | “Science” | Repetition |
| Key words | Expertise | Brand names |
| Guilt | “The camera never lies” | Keeping up with the Joneses |
Find out exactly what each of these advertising techniques means by reading the description below and matching them correctly with one of the headings from the list above.
1. “Before and after”
Some products are advertised as having a remarkable and immediate effect.
We are shown the situation before using the product, which is contrasted with the situation that follows its use. Taking a tablet for headache in such advertisements can have truly remarkable effect. For not only has the headache gone but the person who had it often gets a new hair-do or a new set of clothes and sometimes even moves into a more modern, better furnished house.
2. ……………………
One thing reminds us of another – especially if we often see them together. For some people snow may suggest Christmas, for others an expensive car may suggest wealth. The advertiser encourages us to associate his product with the things we really want – a good job, a sport car, nice clothes, a beautiful girl-friend – and, perhaps, most of all – a feeling of importance. The “image” of a product is based on these associations and the advertiser often creates a “good image” by showing us someone who uses his product and who leads the kind of life we’d like to lead.
3. ……………………..
Advertisement often encourages us to believe that if someone has been successful in one field, he should be regarded as an authority in another field. The advertiser knows that there are certain people we admire and trust because they are famous sportsmen, actors or singers, and he believes that if a certain well-known person uses his product, we’ll want to use it too. That’s why so many advertisements feature famous people.
4. ………………………..
Maybe we can’t always believe what we are told, but surely we must accept what we are actually shown. The trouble is that when we look at the photo we don’t know how it was taken, or even what was actually photographed. Is that delicious-looking juice really juice or just colored water? Are the colours in fact so bright or has a special filter been used? It’s often difficult to tell, but you can sometimes notice the photograph tricks if you look carefully enough.
5. ………………………….
If you keep talking about something long enough, eventually people will pay attention to you. Many advertisements are based on this principle. If you hear the name of a product many times a day, it will finally come into your head. And if in a shop we have to choose some product from a variety of similar brands, we are likely to buy the one we’ve heard about. In fact, we don’t make the choice ourselves but the advertiser helps to make it for us.
6. …………………………..
In this age of moon flights, heart transplants and wonder drugs we are all impressed by science. If an advertiser links his advertisement with a scientific fact, there is a chance we can be blinded by scientists’ opinion about the product (for example, a toothpaste). The question is simply whether the impressive air of the new discovery or the “man-made miracle” is advertised to help us or just to trick.
7. …………………………….
Advertisers may try to make us buy a product by suggestion that most people, or “the best” people, already use it and that we will no doubt want to follow them. No one likes to be inferior to others and these advertisements suggest that you will be unless you buy this product.
8. ………………………………
The manufacturer needs a name for his product, and of course he looks for a name that will do more than just identify or label: he wants a name that brings suitable associations as well as the ideas that the word brings to mind will help sell the product.
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9. ……………………………….
Most advertisements contain certain words that are to be persuasive, but at the same time to be informative. In describing the product copy-writers insert words that will provoke certain feelings, associations and attitudes. Some words – “golden”, for example – seem to have been so successful in selling that advertisers use them almost as if they were magic keys to increase sales.
10. ………………………….
Advertisers may provoke feelings that you are doing the best for those you love most. Foe example, an advertisement may suggest that any mother who really loves her children uses a certain product. If she doesn’t, she might start to think of herself as a bad mother who doesn’t love her family. So she might go and buy that particular product rather than go on feeling bad about it.
Preparing the Text
A. Studying the language
1. Translate into Russian.
Remarkable and immediate effect, to encourage smb to do smth, a delicious-looking juice, to keep talking about smth, a variety of similar brands, heart transplant, to be blinded by scientific facts, no one likes to be inferior to others, suitable associations, a man-made miracle.
2. Translate into English.
Принимать лекарство, переехать в новый дом, знаменитость, век полётов на луну, фотографировать, преуспевать в жизни, обращать внимание на к.-л., вызывать к.-л. ощущения.
3. Make some sentences of your own with the words and word combinations from ex. 1 and ex. 2.
4. Train your Modals. Translate into English.
a). Вероятнее всего, выбирая в магазине зубную пасту, вы купите ту, рекламу которой чаще всего видели по телевизору, если, конечно, вам позволят финансы.
b). Не следует доверять слишком «ярким» словам: «прекрасный», «лучший», «надёжный» - вы можете попасть в ловушку.
c). Всем рекламодателям приходится соблюдать определённые правила рекламирования товаров.
d). На телевидении вот-вот должна появиться новая реклама телевизоров LG.
e). У кого-то реклама дорогих автомобилей может вызывать положительные эмоции, а кого-то просто раздражать.
5. Train your Passive. Translate into English.
a). Некоторые лекарственные средства рекламируются так, будто они имеют мгновенный результат.
b). Чаще мы верим не в то, что нам говорят, а в то, что нам показывают.
c). В век полётов на Луну, изобретения компьютера мы находимся под впечатлением научного знания.
d). Товары, продаваемые на распродаже, значительно дешевле, чем в обычных магазинах.
e). Если кто-то преуспел в одном, это не значит, что его следует рассматривать как авторитет в другом.
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B. Points for comments and discussion
1. Find examples of advertisements on Russian TV in order to explain how these advertising techniques work. Can you suggest some other advertising techniques?
2. Do you think that some techniques are more effective than others?
3. Use some of the techniques to make an advertisement of your own.
Text 7
Advertising Media
Print Media
Printing advertising deals with the use of space. A printed advertisement has three main elements: illustration, headline and copy block.
The illustration usually dominates the space. Studies show that one large illustration with a single focus is best. Photographs are far more effective than any other illustration technique. They bring realism, immediacy and often a great beauty to the advertisement.
One of the most important details in the advertisement is color. It’s used for psychological motivation and effect. In the advertising practice of the United States colors have symbolic meanings. Green is freshness, health; white is purity, dark brown is masculine, pastels are feminine, black is sophisticated, purple, red and gold are regal and connote quality.
Headlines should draw attention as most of readers never read beyond them.
If the headline fails to draw their interest immediately, they won’t read the text. The headline should be short and informative – it should say something about the product.
The copy block shouldn’t use more than 20% of the total advertising space. There are no strict rules for writing outstanding advertising copy. However here are some useful suggestions that work in the UK and in the United States:
1. Use short sentences with short familiar words.
2. Use positive forms or strong negatives (“never”, “avoid”, “stop”). Avoid weak negatives such as “don’t”, “won’t”, “can’t”.
3. Use the active voice. “Floors clean better with …” is stronger than “Floors can be cleaned better with …”.
4. Use only necessary words – as many or as few as needed to communicate the message.
5. Make the message personal; direct it at the consumer. Each consumer likes to believe that the message is for him individually.
6. Concentrate on the consumer and product benefits. Write from the reader’s point of view. Write what the buyer really wants to know.
Broadcast Media
The essential difference between the broadcast media and the print media is that advertising in print media occupies space. Radio and television exist in time. Another difference between the two types of media is a difference of purpose. The major function of print media is to provide news and information; of the broadcast media – to provide entertainment.
Many people buy magazines because they want to read advertisements. On radio and television advertising interrupts. From the advertiser’s point of view this is both strength and weakness. The interruption itself can be an attention-getting device. It can prepare people to listen to the message. But the interruptions are also a source of irritation. They can cause people not to listen or to watch, in fact, to resent the advertisement and the advertiser.
From: David P. Rein. The Language of Advertising and Merchandising in English. NY, 1982.
Preparing the Text
A. Studying the language
1. Match the English words and word combinations with the Russian equivalents.
| print media | источник раздражения |
| to deal with | существенная разница |
| headline | текст рекламы |
| copy block | печатные СМИ |
| advertising culture | заголовок |
| symbolic meaning | иметь дело с |
| to draw attention | строгие правила |
| strict rules | символическое значение |
| to communicate the message | привлекать внимание |
| essential difference | передавать содержание |
| source of irritation | культура рекламы |
2. Put the words in the right order to make a sentence.
a) them readers beyond headlines attention never draw as of should most read.
b) him likes each believe the individually consumer to is message
that for.
c) space print (2) essential in between and media (3) that occupies the (3) difference broadcast is advertising.
d) far photographs illustration more are any than effective technique other.
e) if fails won’t people headline the (2) to attention read their text draw.
3. Fill in the correct word derived from the word in brackets.
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Cigarette … (advertise) is a popular topic for … (discuss), as an increasing number of people believe that it’s … (moral) and should be banned. I support this view for a … (vary) of reasons.
First of all, it should be stopped because an … (health) product is being promoted. According to many … (medicine) reports, tobacco is a major cause of lung cancer and is sometimes … (respond) for heart disease. What is more, smoking can have … (harm) effects on non- … (smoke): they have to breathe in second-hand smoke.
Another major reason for … (ban) cigarette advertising is the fact that it targets young people. Cigarette adverts show young, … (beauty), … (success) people smoking and having fun. This image is … (appeal) to teenagers. In other words, they become … (attract) to this … (glamour) … (present) of smoking, which leads them to taking up the habit. Furthermore, the average teenager doesn’t realize that it’s … (addict).
However, tobacco companies argue that since their … (produce) are … (legal) sold they have the right to communicate … (inform) about them. They … (strong) deny that they target … (young) in their adverts, stating that all the models whose photos they use are adults.
In … (conclude), I believe that cigarette companies are only … (interest) in making money, as their advertising campaigns are … (ethic) and aimed at teenagers.
4. Translate into English.
a). Интересно, почему во время выпусков новостей не бывает перерывов на рекламу?
b). Заголовок должен быть коротким и информативным, он должен сообщать самые необходимые сведения о продукте.
c). Если заголовок не привлекает внимание, читатели даже не заглянут в рекламу.
d). Если печатная реклама направлена на информацию, то телевизионная – на развлечение.
e). При создании рекламы необходимо сосредоточится на покупателе и его потребностях.
B. Studying the text
Correct the following statements.
1. It’s the copy block that plays the most important role in an advertisement, but not the illustration and headline.
2. The advertiser should think only about his profit.
3. A lot of people like commercial breaks.
4. The headline should be funny, but not informative.
5. It’s better to make advertisements impersonal.
C. Points for comments and discussion
1. What can you tell about the language in advertisement?
2. Do you agree that colours have their symbolic meanings? How do they work in advertising?
3. What are the differences between print and broadcast media?
Text 8
When a Name Can Cost up to $100, 000
He’s not a doctor or even a marketing specialist. But when a pharmaceuticals firm wants to launch a drug, James Dettore often tops the list of people to contact. Dettore, president of the Miami-based Brand Institute, charges companies such as Smith-Kline Beecham $ 100, 000 a time to perfect something that is becoming as crucial to a drug’s success as its clinical effectiveness: its name.
Naming used to be a straightforward undertaking – aspirin was so called because it consisted of acetylsalicylic acid based on extracts from the spiraea plant – but now naming of drugs has ballooned into a multimillion-dollar industry.
New drugs receive a generic name, subject to approval by the World Health Organization, but it is in choosing the trade name that naming consultants come into their own.
The process begins with brainstorming session among pharmacists, physicians and consumers, says Dettore. There are some basic rules at Brand Institute: the perfect name is held to consist of 10 letters or fewer, and no mere than three syllables.
But much depends on fashion. Where once drug companies chose names blinded the public with science, now there has been a shift in the direction of airy, abstract names embodying hope, wellness and the promise of transformation.
Some drugs make hold claims for their own efficacy. Zyban, an antidepressant aimed at those trying to quit smoking, implies that it will ”ban” their habits. Some seek out favorable euphoric associations, as in vigor and virility of Viagra. And that upbeat prefix “pro” never goes amiss: “There are more than 4, 000 “pro” prefix names in the various registers”, Dettore says.
Pharmaceuticals firms often opt for names beginning with A so that they are placed near the beginning of drug formularies. Others piggyback on existing brands by borrowing parts of their names. Abbot Laboratories’ Aids drug Norvir has echoes of Glaxo’s AZT brand Retrivir.
Devising an evocative name is only the first hurdle. Once it has been formulated, linguists check that names are pronounceable worldwide and don’t have obscene or embarrassing meaning in other languages.
The costliest part of the exercise involves hiring armies of lawyers to shift through trademark registers and medical regulations to ensure the name does not contravene consumer legislation or infringe existing marks – of which there are more than 1 m in the European Union.
Choosing a name similar to an existing one can cause trouble. Confusion between Merck’s gastrointestinal drug Losec and the antihypertention treatment Lasix promotes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to order Merck to change it to Prilisec. The FDA also skippered Pharmacia and Upjohn’s plans to market its baldness treatment as Regain, on the basis that it didn’t stimulate permanent hair regrowth.
“Naming is becoming more and more complicated”, says Dettore with a hint of worry. “People are saying we might even run out of names”.
From: Oliver Burkeman
Preparing the Text
A. Studying the language
1. Look at these verbs from the text, which are more commonly found as nouns.
James Dettore often tops the list of people to contact.
… now naming of drugs has ballooned into a multimillion-dollar industry.
Put these verbs, which are commonly used as nouns, into the sentences below. Use each verb once only. You will need to put some of the verbs into the past tense.
| top balloon back chair hand eye knife |
a). As the meeting was very important the prime minister decided to_____ it himself.
b). The postman knocked on the door because he needed to_____ me an important letter and get my signature.
c). The murderer _____ his victim in the back.
d). Her latest hit song has _____ the music charts for weeks.
e). Shopping on the Internet has ______ into a massive industry in the past year.
f). As the stranger walked into the café, the customers _____ him with suspicion.
g). After looking carefully behind her, she _____ the car into the parking space.
2. Look at the use of the articles in the first two sentences of the text. Complete the sentences below with a, the, or no article.
a). In ___ United States ___ companies can pay up to $100, 000 for ___ name of ____ new drug.
b). ___ names of all___ new drugs need to be approved by ___ World Health Organization.
c). Although James Dettore isn’t ___ lawyer, he understands most of ___ laws that regulate brand names.
d). ___ president of ___ company decided to move ___ pharmaceuticals division to ___ California.
e). They couldn’t use ____ name Zyglorilift because it was difficult for ___ Italian speakers to pronounce.
f). After brainstorming hundreds of ___ ideas they decided to take ___ break.
B. Studying the text
1. Choose the correct ending to these sentences.
a). The Brand Institute in Miami:
1. develops new pharmaceutical products
2. creates names for new drugs
3. makes sure that new drugs are clinically effective
4. markets new drugs
b). Nowadays the development of drug trade names:
1. is simple and straightforward
2. is done by pharmacists
3. is done by the World Health Organization
4. has grown into a big industry
c). At the moment the ideal name for a new drug:
1. has more than 10 letters
2. is abstract with the promise of future health
3. has only two syllables
4. is long and scientific
d). Linguists check the names:
1. don’t have negative meanings in other languages
2. are simple to pronounce for English speakers
3. are easy to spell for all nationalities
4. aren’t existing trademarks in other countries
e). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can order the change of a drug name if it:
1. has an embarrassing meaning in another language
2. sounds like a type of food or drink
3. is similar to another drug
4. is too long and complicated
2. Answer the following questions.
a). What is James Dettore’s job?
b). How does the process of choosing a drug name start?
c). What sort of drug is Zyban? Why was the name chosen?
d). Why do many drugs begin with the letter “A”?
e). What is James Dettore worried about in future?
C. Points for comments and discussion
1. Speak about the process of choosing a drug name.
2. Look at the following brand names. Are they familiar to you? Who invented these names? What do they actually mean?
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