6. Read the text and sum it up. The Internet

Though still thought of as being very new, in the UK the Internet first surfaced as an advertising medium in 1997, when it was registered as carrying £8 million worth of advertising. In that same year, Internet advertisements were for the first time judged separately at Britain’s leading creative awards competition. However, in Britain, as everywhere else, the Internet’s growth since then has been startling, with advertising revenue leaping from the £8 million in 1997 to more than £34 million in 2009 – 24% of total expenditure and still climbing rapidly. Most Internet advertising is for products and brands for which customers want quite detailed information: finance, telecommunications, computers, travel, automobiles, industrial goods, and entertainment are the top seven Internet advertising sectors. Inexpensive branded consumer goods account for only some 5% of Internet advertising.

In part, this is because the Internet has become the prime interactive medium. It allows, indeed encourages, customers to respond to advertisements by way of chat rooms and other online discussion forums, so that advertisers and customers engage directly in dialogue with each other. Internet enthusiasts often claim that this interactivity is revolutionizing marketing, as advertisers and their customers build increasingly close relationships. There is a smidgeon of truth in this, but traditional retailers have always been close to their customers – after all, the customers personally visit their shops – and anyway, the vast majority of customers do not respond to advertisers via the Internet, nor do they wish to.

However, online behaviours and interactivity differ greatly between different socioeconomic groups. Consequently the Internet is highly effective for targeting defined demographic groups, both by special interests and activities, and at different times during the day and night. For example, online behaviour differs markedly according to age, sex, and class. Urban professionals aged 20–34 rely on the Internet heavily for their work, and for planning their social lives. Women aged 35–44 with families, in contrast, use it to manage the home, and for hobbies and other interests. Moreover, Internet users can be identified, and their purchasing and other characteristics can be related directly to them, by means of the memories (‘cookies’) in their computers. This makes Internet targeting far more precise than that for any other medium.

SPEAKING and WRITING

7. Which ad formats do you see most often on the Internet? Why do you think these formats are so popular?

UNIT 7

Buzz marketing

TEXT A

1. Read the text and find English equivalents to the following Russian words and phrases

1. прямой маркетинг

2. широкая публика, общественность

3. целевая аудитория

4. социальная группа

5. взаимодействовать

6. видеоклип

7. интерактивные игры

8. форум

Word of mouth

Marketing has relied on word of mouth (WOM) for a long time – happy consumers have always told their friends about the products they like. Direct marketing often includes testimonials from the general public who say why they like using the product. Favourable word of mouth publicity – positive WOM is highly beneficial for the brand because the person who spreads the word is usually highly trusted – a family member, for example. However, the product or service must not disappoint the target audience – it must live up to the hype created by WOM.

Buzz marketing and stealth marketing

Buzz marketing uses existing networks, often social networks (for example, groups of friends), to increase brand awareness. Social networking relies on the idea that people will pass along and share cool and entertaining content. Unlike word of mouth, buzz is generated by the brand itself, looking to build awareness of a product or service. A buzz marketing campaign hopes that the message will spread quickly, thanks to buzz agents, people who pass along messages.

CommentUK is a company which specializes in live buzz. This is done by performers (actors) acting out live advertisements. To promote the Nintendo Wii, teams of performers visited cinemas, interacted with other cinemagoers, and played a game live on a big screen.

Brands also use stealth marketing, where consumers are not aware that they are being marketed to. For example, Sony promoted a camera-phone using actors who pretended to be tourists. The actors asked people to take pictures of them, and took the opportunity to praise the brand, saying positive things about it.

Electronic buzz

An electronic buzz marketing campaign, also known as viral marketing, uses viral commercials – ads which are sent around the internet by users themselves. The commercials may be funny video clips, interactive Flash games, images, or any content people would be inclined to share with others. These campaigns can be started by email, in chat rooms or on discussion boards where groups of people with shared interests meet online, and on peer-to-peer sites as YouTube..

At the end of a viral commercial there is usually a clickable link to ‘tell a friend’ or ‘email this page’. The success of an electronic campaign can be measured by the number of emails opened, the click-through rate – how many people clicked on the link after opening the mail – and the number of pass-along events (emails sent to contacts).

VOCABULARY

1. rely on (v) – полагаться на

2. word of mouth (WOM) – реклама из уст в уста

3. testimonial (n) – свидетельство, рекомендация

4. favourable word of mouth publicity – позитивный отзыв от «живого человека»; паблисити, известность

5. beneficial (a) – выгодный, полезный, прибыльный

6. spread the word – распустить слух

7. highly trusted – вызывающий доверие

8. disappoint (v) – разочаровать

9. live up to the hype – оправдывать (ожидания), соответствовать рекламе

10. buzz marketing – сарафанный маркетинг buzz marketing campaign – кампания по продвижению продукта путем распространения информации из уст в уста

11. stealth marketing – скрытый маркетинг

12. network – сеть

13. awareness (n) – осведомленность, информированность

14. social networking – использование общения в социальной группе

15. pass along (v) – передавать

16. generate – вызывать, порождать

17. buzz (n) – повышенный интерес, внимание (к чему-л.), слух, молва

18. generate (v) – вызывать, порождать

19. buzz agent – агент WOM-маркетинга

20. performer (n) – исполнитель, актёр

21. praise (n) – хвалить

22. viral marketing – "вирусный маркетинг"

23. incline (v) – побуждать, склонять к (чему-л.)

24. share (v) – разделять

25. chat rooms – чат-форум

26. discussion board – форум

27. peer to peer site – пи́ринговая, однора́нговая, децентрализо́ванная сеть 

28. clickable link – активная ссылка, гиперссылка

29. click-through rate – отклик [отдача]

EXERCISES