TEXT 3: ADVERTISING

Mass marketing of goods would not be possible without advertising. Advertising tells people about new products and tries to persuade some of them to buy these products. It speeds up the movement of goods from factories to the public.

Simply defined, advertising is any form of nonpersonal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, and services usually paid for by an identified sponsor. As we see from the definition advertising has three peculiar features:

1. Advertising is nonpersonal; because it is directed toward a large group of anonymous people. Even direct-mail advertising, which may be addressed to a specific person, is prepared by a computer and is signed by a machine.

2. Advertising typically is paid for. This fact differentiates advertising from publicity, which is not usually purchased. Sponsors such as Coke and Delta pay for the time and the space they use to get their message across. (Some organizations such as the Red Cross advertise but do not pay for time or space. Broadcast stations, newspapers, and magazines run these ads free as a public service.)

3. For obvious reasons, the sponsor of the ad is identified. In fact, in most instances identifying the sponsor is the prime purpose behind the ad - otherwise, why advertise? Perhaps the only situation in which the identity of the advertiser may not be self-evident is political advertising. Because of this, broadcasters and publishers will not accept a political ad unless there is a statement identifying those responsible for it.

In the competition between producers of similar products, advertising often makes the difference between the success of one product and the failure of another. Some people say this is bad. They say it would be better and less wasteful not to have so many products. Others say that competition among mass producers, marketers, and advertisers helps to keep quality high and prices low.

Shoppers are sometimes confused by advertising, especially when several producers claim that their product is best or most effective. Yet advertising is a useful way for a producer to inform shoppers about a new product.

Vocabulary:

advertisement = ad	реклама
nonpersonal	неличная
to turn the mind towards something	обратить внимание на что-либо
identified	зд. чётко указанный
sponsor	источник финансирования
direct-mail advertising	реклама по почте
specific person	отдельное лицо
to pay for	оплачивать
publicity	пропаганда (паблисити)
to get their message across	для того чтобы сообщить информацию о их фирме, а также предоставляемых этой фирмой товарах и услугах
free	бесплатно
prime purpose	основная цель
self-evident	очевидный сам по себе
political advertising	политическая реклама
competition	конкуренция

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the role of advertising in the system of mass marketing?

2. What are the main features of advertising?

3. What is the aim of advertising?

4. What is the difference between advertising and publicity?

5. What is your personal attitude towards advertising?

Task 5: