UNIT 6 - ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

1. Read four advertising professionals discussing the rise of online advertising.

For questions 1 – 4, choose from the advertisers A – D. The advertisers may be
chosen more than once.

Advertiser A
Online advertising allowed the most forward-thinking competitors to take
great steps. Companies no longer need rely on crude communication devices like
slogans or use sales as measures of success. Engagement can now be tracked on a
small level and the data used to reconfigure any given ad for maximum
effectiveness. It is an advantage to all companies, from local traders to global
corporations and allowed customers to engage with these companies – and buy
their products – at the click of a button. Just as early television advertisers could
not and would not have seen a future like this, it is impossible for us to imagine a
future where advertising is not more beneficial to the consumers.

Advertiser B
When immersed in a business-centered point of view, the benefits and innovations
of e-commerce seem undeniable but, from a consumer‟s point of view, online
advertising is a fatal thing. The popularity of online advertising may well have
risen among businesses worldwide, but so too has that of ad-blocking among
customers. And who could blame them? Companies now have access to an array of
data on consumers worldwide, and more often than not they use it unscrupulously.
It could be argued that, by volunteering for such platforms as social media and
Google, customers can have no complaint about being bombarded with special
offers and calls to action – especially ones which are so specific to their interests.
Indeed, users must be diligent in their online behaviour. Nevertheless, we should
not lose sight of the fact that responsibility in this regard ultimately lies with
corporate entities.

Advertiser C
The internet has made it possible for small brands as well as big to advertise to
customers who need their products. Enhanced data, freely given by potential
customers via social media and online habits, allows SMEs to do away with small
ads in local media and instead join the global companies – including their
competitors – on an equal footing, targeting their campaigns and tailoring products
and services which would be of real benefit to erstwhile customers. In a situation

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such as this, what consumer would not volunteer some personal information in
return for the opportunity to buy a much-needed product or avail of a lucrative
service?

Advertiser D
The rise of e-commerce has not simplified the field of advertising, nor has it
dramatically changed it. If anything, with over 2500 companies involved in the
supply of online advertising, this field is by no means straightforward, and there is
no guarantee that an ad will be seen or that the data which is fed back from its
campaign will be of very much use. Just as print, TV or ambient commercials have
been ignored hitherto, so too can a digital ad be ignored, depending on various
factors such as its position on a page, or software which prevents ads from even
appearing. The only change is that customers now need to work a little harder to
avoid irritating commercials. The focus is on them to install this software –
especially on mobiles, where it can be particularly effective – and to take care to
monitor the information which they share on platforms such as social media and
online-shopping sites.

Questions 1– 4
Which advertiser…
1) has a different view from A about the effectiveness of online advertising?
2) expresses a similar view to C about how online advertising affects small
businesses?
3) has a different view from the others about how online advertising affects
people?
4) expresses a different opinion to B about where responsibility lies for using data
responsibly?

2. Express your opinion on the following statements:

a) Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.
b) Advertising often promotes a particular lifestyle.
c) Advertising usually distorts the truth.
d) Advertising can create dissatisfaction.
e) Advertising often persuades people to buy things they don‟t need.
f) Advertising has a bad influence on children.
g) Advertising changes people‟s buying habits.

3. The word advertisement is often shortened to advert or ad.

Discuss in pairs. Where could you have the following types of adverts?

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  a TV commercial
 a pop-up ad
 a banner ad
 a small / classified ad
 a radio advertisement
 online ads

4. Read the following interview with the director of an advertising agency who
talks about the future of different advertising media.

Interviewer: “What changes do you think we‟ll see in advertising in the future?”
Director: “Well, one thing I think is that TV advertising will become less
important. In fact, that‟s already happening.”
Interviewer: “Why is that?”
Director: “All over the world, TV audiences are starting to decline, get less in
number. I suppose that‟s because of other forms of entertainment coming on the
scene, like computer games. But another thing that has affected TV commercials is
the recorded movies because people can fast forward past all the commercials.”
Interviewer: “So what will replace TV?”
Director: “Well, one growth area is online advertising, things like banners that run
across web pages and pop-up ads. If we look at how much is spent on Internet
advertising, the figure is rising by about 10 or 15 per cent a year.”
Interviewer: “But are online ads effective when you compare them with TV
commercials? I mean, they don‟t use moving images or sound usually. They don‟t
entertain people in the same way.”
Director: “Difficult to say. There isn‟t much research comparing the two. But I fear
the days of the great TV commercial are over. That was back in the 70s and 80s,
you know, when many surveys said that quite a big percentage of people found
them more entertaining than the programmes. That doesn‟t happen now. There‟s
more choice of channels and I think people just switch over when the commercials
are on. Or they just don‟t take as much notice of them now.”
(Source: Business Benchmark, ISBN (print) 978-0-521-67117-0 Student‟s Book BEC Preliminary Edition, p.171)

A. Which types of advertising does the director talk about?

 …………………………….
 …………………………….
 …………………………….
 …………………………….

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B. Now complete these notes:
 TV commercials are less effective because …..
 The amount that companies spend on Internet advertising is rising by ….
 The period when TV commercials were very effective was ….
 Today people switch over when the commercials are on because ....

5. Write synonyms for:

1. profit
2. expensive
3. to encourage
4. to demand
5. totally
6. customer
7. principal
8. to advertise
9. a variety of
10.to place

Now use the words in the table above and fill in the sentences:
1. The company is heavily ………. their new laptops.
2. His financial success ………. him to look for a wife.
3. The company registered no …….. from the businesses developed last
year.
4. The hostess ……….. lunch for all the guests.
5. He was ……… convinced that he was going to become the next boss of
the marketing department.
6. We can afford to have lunch here every day. It is a ………. family
restaurant.
7. There is ……….. possibilities on how to obtain a managerial position.
8. They don‟t live here anymore; I think they …………. away for some
time.

6. Match the terms with the right definitions:

1. market a. this document promises that a product will be repaired or replaced

survey if faulty

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 2. corporate b. the identity of a specific product, service, or business; it can take
image many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color etc.
3. buyer c. the quantity of payment offered by a buyer of goods or services
4. buying price d. it is an accepted image of what a company stands for; marketing
experts use public relations to promote this image to the public
5. after-sales e. any individuals or households that use goods and services
service generated within the economy
6. guarantee f. person or company met in a rivalry in the pursuit of wealth,
certificate prestige and fame
7. sale g. transfer of property for money
8. competitor h. it is a questionnaire that allows you to get the right information
you need about your target market
9. competitive i. reduction to the basic price of goods or services
10.consumers j. involving rivalry; tendency to contest
11. brand k. service that continues after the sale of a product (maintenance)
12. discount l. any person who makes a purchase

7. Choose the right word to fill in the blanks:

circulation, direct mail, contributors, brand identity, advertisement
1. The …….… of this product cost us $10,000. As a result, we had 2000 calls
from customers, so the profit was $5 per sold product.
2. We used ……… to inform our customers about our new special offer.
3. The magazine has a weekly ……… of 50,000 copies.
4. A corporation's image is not solely created by the company. Other ………. to
a company‟s image include news media, journalists, labor unions or
environmental organizations.
5. ………… is very important as it expresses how a company wants the consumer
to see its product. The company may want the customer to see the product as a
luxury item or perhaps a cheaper item.

8. Choose the correct variant:

1. We have to develop a better online ..... . We‟re not getting as many hits as we
used to.
a) strategy b) status c) stronghold
2. Which audience ....... are you aiming for? Teenagers?
a) segment b) selection c) level
3. ....... will be spending billions of dollars on Olympics-related advertising.
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 a) Respondents b) Ads c) Sponsors
4. The goal here is to start new relationships, and to ...... ( = strengthen) existing
ones.
a) make stronger b) deepen c) electrify
5. We need to do a better job at ...... what the brand is about.
a) commuting b) communicating c) competing
6. Viral marketing uses "word-of-……." ( = information passed from one person to
another) to increase brand awareness.
a) speech b) month c) mouth
7. We plan to launch a new sales …… to attract new customers.
a) company b) comment c) campaign
8. They have many ….. trained salespeople.
a) high b) top c) highly

9. Read the following text and translate it:

Marketers must complete four general sets of activities (the four Ps):
 Product - it refers to the specifications of the actual good or service, and how
it relates to the end-user‟s needs and wants.
 Pricing - it refers to the process of setting a price for a product, including
discounts.
 Promotion - it includes advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal
selling, and refers to the various methods of promoting the product.
 Placement (distribution) – it refers to how the product gets to the customer;
for example, the channel by which a product or service is sold (online, retail),
which geographic region, to which segment (young people, families, business
people).
For a marketing plan to be successful, the mix of the four Ps must reflect the
desires of the consumers in the target market. Trying to convince a market segment
to buy something they don‟t want is extremely expensive and rarely successful.
Marketers depend on marketing research, both formal and informal, to determine
what consumers want and what they are willing to pay for it.

10. Writing focus:

 Write a slogan for a product that you like.
 Think of the word marketing and write down words related to this field.
 Write the verbal forms of the following nouns: publicity, product, creativity,
analysis, behaviour, contrast, preferences, participation, marketing.

11. Complete the following passage by replacing the missing prepositions:

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 Marketing teams carry a lot .... responsibility when it comes ….. choosing
brand names that have to cross the language barrier. As many multinationals have
found to their cost, some names can take unintended meanings when translated into
another language. We‟ve all come …… examples in the press, not least ..... the
automotive industry – several car manufacturers, it seems, have run …… problems
on this front. One of General Motors‟ models, the „Nova‟, translates into Spanish
as „it doesn‟t go‟. The company changed the name to „Caribe‟ and sales shot ….. .
One of Ford‟s new models appeared ….. the Mexican market as „Caliente‟ -
Spanish slang for „street-walker‟. Such classic blunders soon show …… and swift
action usually saves the day.

12. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the underlined word. In
some cases, you will need to use the negative form.

advertise profit
In our new campaign, our main ….. medium This line of raincoat is highly ….. - we
will be television. must discontinue it quickly.
Benetton produced a series of eye-catching If we are serious about improving the …..
….. for their products. of these outlets, we should take a good
associate look at staffing costs.
Engineering firms often work in ….. with rival
other companies. The ….. between soft drinks companies,
When there is a financial scandal, business Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, is very
people often try to ….. themselves from fierce.
those involved. Otis is known all over the world as a
consume manufacturer of lifts. Its reputation in
Food, clothing and household products are the industry is …… .
all examples of ….. goods. sell
Wine ….. is high in France, and on the Which is your best-….. product?
increase in other European countries. Our ….. force doubled last year.
market produce
To make money, you don‟t just need a good Although the meeting went on for hours,
product – you also need excellent ….. . it was rather ….. .
Some products are very innovative, but they Since we introduced the new pay
simple aren‟t …… structure, ….. has improved.