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Agony of Unsubscribing

The document discusses James Veitch's experience receiving unwanted marketing emails and his humorous responses. It describes how James repeatedly tried to unsubscribe from emails by one company but continued receiving them. This prompted James to engage in an imaginary correspondence with the company, inventing an elaborate fictional scenario. Though intended as a joke, the exchange continued for months and became a game between James and the representative.

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Jay Be-El
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58 views3 pages

Agony of Unsubscribing

The document discusses James Veitch's experience receiving unwanted marketing emails and his humorous responses. It describes how James repeatedly tried to unsubscribe from emails by one company but continued receiving them. This prompted James to engage in an imaginary correspondence with the company, inventing an elaborate fictional scenario. Though intended as a joke, the exchange continued for months and became a game between James and the representative.

Uploaded by

Jay Be-El
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The agony of trying to

by James Veitch

WARM-UP:

1. Discuss the following online marketing methods and think about their pros and cons:
PROS CONS
Facebook/Google Ads
Facebook fanpage
Newsletters
Sponsored blog posts
Viral videos

Which of the techniques above do you find the most effective and which the most annoying?

VOCABULARY:
2. Match the synonyms from both columns:
1. overload a) excess
2. predominantly b) question
3. resent c) get worse
4. bottom line d) dull, ordinary
5. deteriorate e) essence, core, main idea
6. mundane f) mainly
7. query g) hate

3. Put the words from points 1-7 in exercise 2


in the sentences below:

a) Although the city still has a white majority,


the public schools are ……………… black.

b) Most ………………..............should normally


be answered within five working days.

c) Just as today, in the past a great deal of rubbish was generated by the
……….. activities of everyday existence.

d) People say we live in an age of information ……………. Right? I don't know about that, but I
just know that I get too many marketing emails

e) By 1987 the relationship between the two families had …………..

f) They wanted me to skip the overview of the experiment and get to the main point.

g) Teenagers seem to ……………….. almost any form of control.


Created by ESLbrains.com
Graphics by Freepik.com
The agony of trying to
by James Veitch

4. What do you do when you receive a spam email?

What kind of spam email do you receive?

5. Match the words to their correct definitions.

1. a quid a. a large structure that is filled with air so children can jump on it

2. outrageous b. dull, not interesting

3. mundane c. extremely big in amount

4. labour-intensive d. needing a lot of work to do

5. a bouncy castle e. slang for a British pound

6. immense f. something that someone has done that will continue to exist after they die

7. a legacy g. unacceptable

LISTENING COMPREHENSION:
6. Watch the TED Talk and note down the answer to these questions:

a) Why did James Veitch pretend to die when he was a child?


………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) What did James hate about receiving a marketing email?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c) How many times did James try to unsubscribe?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
d) What did James offer to prepare for the shop opening?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
e) What game did James come up with after the shop was opened?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

f) How does James’ program work?


Created by ESLbrains.com
Graphics by Freepik.com
The agony of trying to
by James Veitch

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. What do you remember?

Put True (T) or (F) next to each statement below. Say why the false answers false.

1. James didn’t give the real name of the store because he didn’t want to embarrass them.
2. James tried more than once to unsubscribe from the company’s emails.
3. The man that James wrote to didn’t know how to deal with his inquiry.
4. The relationship between James and Dan got better as they wrote more emails.
5. James said that he was able to get his deposit back for a bouncy castle he had ordered.
6. James thinks that making things fun is just a matter of finding the right game.

DISCUSSION:
8. Consider the points below:

 What kind of newsletters have you registered for? Do you keep track of them?
 How often do you unsubscribe from marketing emails you get?
 What’s most irritating in email marketing?
 What do you think is the difference between email marketing and spam?
 How successful do you think marketing emails are? Have you ever bought
something as a result of a marketing email?

 Would you ever consider doing what James Vetch did? Why/why not?

 What point do you think James is trying to make?

 What is your opinion about practical jokes? Have you ever played a practical joke
like this on someone or know someone who has?

Created by ESLbrains.com
Graphics by Freepik.com

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