Ex.5. Role play. Make up dialogues based on the situations below

1) At the newsagent's you are going to buy some newspapers for en­tertainment and some serious ones. You ask for advice.

2) Ask the minister of mass media ques­tions about the role of mass media in this country.

Advertising Tricks *

In a TV commercial the advertiser is trying to per­suade you to go out and buy something. He wants to make you feel that you really must have it. There are a number of different ways of doing this:

1. The snob effect. You are told that the product is the most exclusive and of course rather expensive. Only the very best people use it.

2. The "scientific" effect. A serious-looking man with glasses and a white coat, possibly a doctor or a profes­sor, tells you about the advantages of the product.

The words-and-music effect. The name of the product is repeated over and over again, put into a rhyme and sung several times, in the hope that you won't forget it. The sung rhyme is called a "jingle."

The ha-ha effect. The advertiser tries to make you laugh by showing people or cartoon figures in funny situations.

5. The VIP (Very Important Person) effect. Well-known people, like actors or football-players, are shown using the product.

The supermodern effect. The advertiser tries to persuade you that his product is a sensation or something really new.

The go-go effect. This is suitable for the teenage market. It shows young people having a party, singing laughing, having a wonderful time, and, of course, using the product.

Exercises

Ex.1. Give examples of different advertisements illustrating the effects shown in the text above

Ex. 2. Many companies and shops choose a short name which attracts attention, is easy to remember and gives an immediate idea of what services are offered. This name is often spelt in a kind of simple phonetic spelling to make it unique and memorable, e.g. EAZIWASH (easy wash) is a launderette. Below are the real names of 14 companies and shops. Give the normal spelling of each and match the name of the company with the service it provides.

a) LITE BITE

b) SHUSELLA

c) KWICK KOPY

d) KWALITY FASHION

e) KUMFY KIDDY WEAR

f) MR KLEEN

g) SNAX

h) U-DRIVE

i) FLITE CENTRE

j) MOTOR KARE

1) snack bar;

2) garage and repair shop;

3) shoe-shop;

4) car-rent firm;

5) photo-copying firm;

6) children’s clothes shop;

7) women’s clothes shop;

8) dry cleaners;

9) snack bar;

10) travel agency.

Are You Influenced by Advertising? ***

It goes without saying that all of us are influenced by adverts, commercials, brochures, bright pictures, sample sales and free gifts that are used to advertise goods, service and I'd say a certain way of life. In fact advertising has become part and parcel of our every day life. Advertisements are all around us, not just on TV, radio and in the press, but also at sports grounds, in shop windows, and on posters, carrier bags, badges, T-shirts, trams and buses and even hot air bal­loons. Whether we like it or not, advertising is a pow­erful force, and all countries have different ways of persuading people to buy something. Nevertheless, they have much in common.

If you don't mind, I'm going to dwell upon some of the gags they use and tell you how they influence personally me.

To begin with, I'd like to say that advertising often uses the language and pictures to make us believe that we should be ashamed of ourselves for not buying a certain product for our families or ourselves. They play on our feelings, emotions, and espe­cially our wish to be up-to date and knowledgeable.

Frankly speaking I can only tell one shampoo from the other by the effect it produces on my hair. It sometimes leaves it silky, manageable, shiny or heavy, greasy or dull. But I'm flattered to hear that I'm buying the one that is "scientifically developed" or "has been scientifically approved by experts".

The numerous ads exploit our wish to be as good as others. They challenge us to "keep up to date", "keep up with the neighbours", or even "keep one jump ahead". The message is to buy the product if you don't want to be left behind. I must tell you that it's very tempting to buy a TV set of the new millennium or a coffee maker that every other fam­ily in all European countries uses. But here an aver­age Russian consumer inevitably faces two prob­lems: what's to be done with a previous one that is in perfect working order and, secondly, how to earn as much money as every other European family. I find those ads humiliating and try to ignore the informa­tion about weekends on Hawaii's cottages, Italian kitchens and posh cars.

The third trick they use is to say: be attractive. Pictures of sexy women and young fellows are often used to draw attention to a product, and the suggestion is that we will be desirable and so­cially successful if we use it. That's ridiculous! An untidy woman is repulsive and vulgar no matter whether she uses a brand famous new French per­fume or not. In my opinion a man smoking "Camel" on a high mountain cliff doesn't look romantic and brave. It's totally absurd to climb that high so that to inhale nicotine instead of fresh mountain air. Besides, he pollutes the global atmosphere and risks cancer.

However, there are some ads, which I find very instructive. The ads which I really like and approve of are those that tell us to be responsible or act responsi­bly. These are adverts for healthy food, environmen­tally friendly products, and even charities. They real­ly appeal to the caring side of human nature. They aim to make us feel guilty if we ignore the appeal. I do want my children and grandchildren to live on a healthy green planet without polluted forests or harmful wastes from nuclear plants and reactors.

To finish with, I'd like to say that I'm not entirely influenced by adverts like "millions of satisfied users." I don't believe that it is possible to become special by using a spray the pop-stars use, or become a VIP by driving a posh Rolls Roy's car. I remember Robert Burns' epigram about a flea that still remained a flea after spending a day with a king. I'm not going to seek "unique experience", tasting new Fanta or Cola. LIFE itself is a unique experience and it doesn't need any advertising.

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