Lesson 3. Advertising Tips

Warm up

Discuss what you think was wrong with the following advertising campaigns.

a. A hair products company advertised new styling tongs with the name ‘Mist’. They sold well all over the world but were not a success in Germany. Why not?

b. An electronics company produced a new vacuum cleaner and advertised it with the slogan, ‘Nothing sucks like (name of product)’. The vacuum sold well in English-speaking countries but not in America. Why not?

c. A company selling nappies worldwide used the image of a stork delivering disposable nappies to expectant parents. The advert was a success in Europe and America but a failure in Japan. Why?

Reading

I. Read and translate the text. Discuss it with your partner.

Advertising Tips

Loaded words: words with strong associations such as home, family, dishonest and wasteful.

Buzzwords: words that are popular and vague like “pure and natural.”

Transference: associating a symbol with a product such as the Golden Arches and McDonalds.

Name Calling: comparing one product to another and saying it is weaker or inferior in quality or taste.

Glittering Generality: using words that glitter or sparkle such as “The candy bar tastes better, looks better and is less expensive.” Car companies do this a lot when comparing their vehicles to another company’s cars.

Testimonial:someone famous that people like and respect speaks for the product.

Bandwagon: the advertiser tries to make you feel like everyone else has the product and if you don’t have it too, you’ll be left out.

Repetition: they repeat an idea enough so that you think it must be true.

Flattery: they make you feel good for having the good sense to buy the product

Plain Folks: they say people “just like you” buy it

Authority: someone with authority tells you about the product

Snob Appeal: using this product means you’re using the “best” product

Hidden Fears: they scare you into buying the product

Facts and Figures: saying things such as 9 out of 10 people prefer…

Free and Bargain: using these words to attract you to buy the product

Urgency: making you feel like you need the product right away

II.Reading Comprehension

I. Name some more examples of these techniques found in current advertisements.

II. Fill in the blank with the correct advertising technique.

________________ “I eat this cereal every morning and I’m an Olympic champion!”

________________ “Only the smartest consumer will buy this product.”

________________ “Your child may be unsafe without a Carsafe car seat.”

________________ “As a policeman, I see a lot of crime. That’s why I use Lockdown on my own car.”

________________ “Look for the crown. It’ll mean you’re eating quality fast-food.”

________________ “Kids love these treats. They’ll eat ‘em up every time. Schools are serving these as part of their lunch programs because all of the students really like the taste. My own kids think they’re delicious and eat them like nothing else they’ve ever eaten.”

________________ “All the cool kids in school will be wearing Hottie Jeans.”

________________ “Don’t delay, you can’t afford to be without this window cleaner. It will allow you to see the world you have been missing. Hurry, buy it today!”

________________ “90% of my child’s teachers agree that Hooked on Phonics really worked!”

________________ “The succulent taste of our butter fried chicken will make your mouth water.”

________________ “You won’t find prices this low again. Our cars are being sold at such low prices they’re practically free!”

Lexical Exercises