Advertising is a message that tries to sell something. Companies advertise everything from cars to candy. Advertising is also used to change people’s ideas. For example, an ad (advertisement) could try to make voters choose a certain candidate for president. Ads appear almost everywhere we look. They are on the radio and on TV, in magazines, shop windows and on T-shirts. They show up inside elevators, on school buses and even in schools. About 600 billion dollars are spent on advertising around the world every year.
Advertising does two main jobs. It tells people about something, like a product or a service. It also works to make people want to buy the product or service.
Advertisements do their jobs in many different ways. Many printed ads have headlines or boldly printed words that make people stop and read them. The headline may promise something that the reader wants, like a good price. Other headlines may carry the announcement of a new product.
Some ads use slogans that are used over and over again. They are easy to remember and often use a catchy phrase. Sometimes slogans are not related to the product. In many ads a famous person talks about a product. This person may be an actor, a model or a well-known athlete, or even an average user of a product. Ads also compare a product with another one of the same type. The ad points out why a product is better. Some ads feature cartoon or product characters. They become well known and people identify them with a product.
Repetition is one of the most basic techniques used in the advertising business. Advertisers broadcast their commercials several times a day for days or weeks to get the message across. When people see an ad more often they may be more likely to accept the message and want the product.
NOTE: I advertisement = advert = ad
action
process
result
to advertise
advertising
advertisement
a) We advertised our restaurant in the Evening News.
b) We should put more effort into advertising.
c) I’m writing in reply to your advertisement.
II Do not mix up company and campaign.
Our company starts a new ad campaign.
Exercise 4. Use these advertising terms to complete the sentences.
sponsor brand publicity agency influenceslogan competitors logo hype
1. – Do people really buy things just because they’ve seen them advertised on TV?
– Of course they do! Advertising has a huge on all the choices we make.
2. Advertisers like to think of a clever to make people remember their product. For example, Coca Cola’s is “It’s the real thing.”
3. Nike are going to the next World Cup. All the players will have to wear the Nike on their shirts.
4. What of jeans do you wear?
5. Most companies spend a lot of money on advertising. It’s the only way they can stay ahead of their .
6. My sister’s just got a job working for an advertising as a copywriter.
7. – Did you see Jodie Foster on that chat show last night? She was really good.
– She’s been on all the shows this week. It’s all just for her new film.
8. – You went to see Spielberg’s new film at the weekend, didn’t you? What was it like?
– Well, considering all the I thought it was a bit disappointing.
Exercise 5. Read and translate the text. Do the activities that follow it.