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WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

available to the public, the manufacturer's pricing policies, or the results of marketing studies that show that consumers want the product. This audience is interested in the technical aspects of distribution, pricing, and market niche.

You would prepare quite a different news release or feature article for the food section of a daily newspaper. The consumer wants information about the food prod­uct's nutritional value, convenience, and cost and wants to know why the item is supe­rior to similar products. The reader is also looking for menu ideas and recipes using the product.

Clarity of the Message

The objective in all communication should be not to create understanding but to prevent misunderstanding.

There are several things you can do to avoid this problem. First, you should work on your writing style. Second, you should use a thesaurus regularly. Many words have numerous synonyms, but each of these has a slightly different effect on the receiver. For example, "youthful" is a favorable word, but "juvenile" has negative connotations. Third, you should test your writing before you inflict it on the public. If at all possible, try it out on members of the target audience.

Timing and Context

Your message must arrive at a time when it can conveniently be considered. If it is too early, your audience may not be ready to think about it. April is not the time to talk about winter sports or sports equipment, but October might be just right. Information about income taxes is especially interesting just before the tax deadline, but it's "old hat" a few days later. News about a cure for male baldness gets full attention from middle-aged bald-headed men at almost any time.

□ Words and word-combinations

1. to appeal to — обращаться к к.-л., апеллировать

2. suppliers — поставщики

3. wholesalers — оптовики

4. distributors — распределители, дистрибьютеры

5. available — доступный, находящийся в наличии

6. consumers — потребители

7. pricing — определение цен

8. market niche — место на рынке; сфера торговли

9. nutritional value — питательная ценность

10. convenience — удобство

11. clarity of the message — ясность информации

12. misunderstanding — неправильное понимание; недопонимание

13. thesaurus — словарь, тезаурус, энциклопедия; сокровищница

14. timing — выбор наиболее подходящего времени

15. income taxes — подоходный налог

16. deadline — предел, крайний срок