Text 3 Advertising

Advertising (ad) is any paid form of non-personal presentation by an identified sponsor. It may appear on television or radio, in newspapers, magazines, books, or direct mail, or on billboards or transit cards.

Advertising has a big place in our society and much power to influence thought and action. But it lacks a direct feedback mechanism. A potential buyer can’t ask an ad how something works, for instance. Thus advertising can’t adapt as easily as personal selling to individual consumers.

The form of advertising which people know is product advertising, which features a specific good or service. It can take many different forms. One special form is comparative advertising, in which the company’s product is compared with competing, named products. Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola often use comparative advertising.

Many companies also use institutional advertising. This type of advertising creates a positive picture of a company and its ideals, services and roles in the community. Instead of trying to sell specific products, it builds a desired image and goodwill for the company. Some institutional advertising supports product advertising that targets consumers. Other institutional advertising is aimed at stockholders or the public.

In designing any type of advertising, decisions must be made in two main areas: the message and the media. Neither choice is easy.

The message is the key part of advertising. It’s what the firm wants the public to know about the product. Designing an advertising message is not an easy task. For this reason, most firms hire an advertising agency and let its creative people develop a theme.

The channels through which advertising is carried to prospective customers are the advertising media. Both product and institutional ads appear in all the major advertising media: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, outdoor advertising, and direct mail. Each company must decide which media are the best for its products. Two of the main factors in making that choice are the cost of the medium and the audience reached by it.

7. Ответьте на вопросы:

1) Where may advertising appear?

2) Advertising has a direct feedback mechanism, doesn’t it?

3) What types of advertising do you know?

4) What kind of decisions must be made in designing advertising materials?

5) How is advertising carried to prospective customers?

8. Закончите предложения, произведя нужный выбор:

1) Advertising

a) is a non-paid form of personal presentation of any product;

b) can be adapted to individual consumers;

c) takes an important place in our society.

2) Most firms

a) use outdoor advertising;

b) hire advertising agents;

c) have advertising managers.

3) Each company

a) chooses the best media for its products;

b) pay much money for the ads;

c) prefers the most expensive media.

9. Дайте на английском языке развернутое определение понятиям:

product advertising –

institutional advertising –

comparative advertising –

advertising media –

10. Вы работаете менеджером в рекламном агентстве. Расскажите на английском языке, какую рекламу и в каких средствах информации вы используете.