Advertising

There is no doubt that we live in an overcommunicated society. Advertising as a communication function was born thousands of years ago. These days it is increasingly invading public spaces. According to most experts the average citizen of an urban centre today is exposed to over 500 commercial messages a day. Some give even higher figures.

Advertising is defined a paid, non-personal sales communication, directed at a large number of potential buyers. Throughout history, the purpose of advertising – to inform and per­suade – has not changed.

The two basic types of advertising are: product and institutional. Product advertising involves selling a good or service. Institutional advertising involves promoting a concept, idea, or philosophy, or the goodwill of an industry, company, organization, or government entity.

With so many products from which we can choose (over 10,000 in the average supermarket), companies must often shout to be heard, and advertising is their megaphone.

The fact is, to do its job, advertising must speak to people. It must be understandable and readable. Advertising research shows that people re­spond better to a down-to-earth, conversational tone than to a more digni­fied, formal one. Therefore, good copywriters develop a style that is de­scriptive, colorful, and even picturesque as well as warm, human, and personal. Because of the need for brevity, they try to use words that are simple, lively, and full of personality and to use punctuation to build a conversational tone rather than to construct purely grammatical sentences.

Advertisers like language that suggests:

· their product is of especially high quality;

· value for money;

· luxury and comfort;

· scientific backing for their product;

· their products make us more attractive.

The economic effect of advertising can be likened to the opening “break” shot in pool or billiards. The moment a company begins to advertise, a chain reaction of economic events takes place. Usually the extent of this chain reaction is very difficult to measure: but as in billiards, its scope is certainly related to the force of the shot.

Vocabulary Notes:

1. doubt [daut] – неясність; сумнів, вагання;

2. overcommunicated [ֽəuvəkə`mju:nıkeıtıd] – такий, що характеризується гіперкомунікацією (прискореною комунікацією; надмірною комунікацією);

3. invading (public spaces) [ın`veıdıŋ] – той, що вторгається (захоплює; оволодіває; окуповує) (громадські місця);

4. public spaces [`pAblık `speısız] – громадські місця;

5. average citizen [`æv ə rıG `sıtızən] – обиватель; середньостатистичний громадянин;

6. urban centre [`ə:b ə n `sentə] – місто; міський центр;

7. exposed (to) [ık`spəuzd] – такий, що піддається (чомусь); той, що зазнає впливу (чогось);

8. commercial message [kə`mə:∫<sup>ə</sup>l `mesıG] – комерційне звернення;

9. (higher) figure [`fıgə] – (вища) цифра;

10. non-personal [ֽnOn`pə:s^ən ə l] – неособистісний; неперсональний;

11. sales communication [ֽseı^əlz kəֽmju:nı`keı∫^ən] – засоби поширення комерційної інформації; комерційна інформація;

12. throughout (history) [θru`aut] – протягом, упродовж (історії);

13. to per­suade [pə`sweıd] / [p<sup>ə</sup>r`sweıd] – умовляти, переконувати;

14. product advertising [`prOdAkt `ædvətaızıŋ] – товарна реклама (реклама товарів / послуг); конкуруюча реклама (реклама різними виробниками одного й того ж самого продукту; виробники змагаються між собою за збільшення ринку збуту продукції, яку рекламують);

15. institutional advertising [ֽın^tstı`tju:∫<sup>ə</sup>n ə l `ædvətaızıŋ] – реклама самої фірми, а не її товарів; рекламування достоїнств організації;

16. goodwill [ֽgud`wıl] – престиж фірми; умовна вартість ділових зв’язків; ділова репутація; “шанси”; добра воля; непомітні активи компанії; нематеріальні активи компанії (підприємства); вартість репутації, престиж (фірми, компанії), гудвіл;

17. government entity [`gAv<sup>ə</sup>nmənt `entəti] – урядова організація;

18. megaphone [`megəfəun] – рупор; мегафон;

19. down-to-earth [ֽdaun tu `ə:θ] – розумний, практичний;

20. conversational (tone) [ֽkOnvə`seı∫^ən ə l] – розмовний (тон);

21. digni­fied [`dıgnıfaıd] – поважний; величний;

22. copywriter [`kOpiֽraıtə] – копірайтер, текстовик, укладач рекламных текстів (творчий співробітник, який укладає рекламні тексти, створює сюжети для рекламних ілюстрацій);

23. de­scriptive [dı`skrıptıv] – описовий; образний; наочний;

24. brevity [`brevəti] – короткість, стислість;

25. lively [`laıvli] – живий; пожвавлений; веселий;

26. punctuation [ֽpAŋ k t∫u`eı∫^ən] – пунктуація;

27. luxury [`lAk∫ ə ri] / [`lAgჳ ə ri] – розкіш; предмет розкоші;

28. scientific backing (for) [ֽsa ı ən`tıfık `bækıŋ] – наукове підкріплення;

29. to liken (to) [`laık ə n] – уподібнювати (чомусь); прирівнювати (до);

30. (opening) “break” shot [ֽbreık `∫Ot] – початковий удар (розбиття);

31. pool (billiards) [pu:l] – пул (вид більярдної гри);

32. chain reaction [t∫eın ri`æk∫^ən] – ланцюгова реакція;

33. extent (of) [ık`stent] – ступінь, міра;

34. to measure [`meჳə] / [`meჳ^ər] – міряти, вимірювати; оцінювати, визначати (характер тощо).

Task 4. Complete the sentences making the proper choice.

1. According to the text we live in … society.

A. underpopulated;

B. overcommunicated;

C. underestimated;

2. Most experts claim that the average citizen of an urban centre today is exposed to over … commercial messages a day.

A. 50;

B. 500;

C. 5000;

3. Throughout history, the …of advertising hardly changed.

A. purpose;

B. forms;

C. tools;

4. There are … basic types of advertising.

A. two;

B. three;

C. four;

5. Statistics says that customers can choose from among … products in the average supermarket.

A. 1,000;

B. 10,000;

C. 100,000;

6. Advertising research shows that people re­spond better to a … tone.

A. down-to-earth;

B. dignified;

C. formal;

7. Advertisers like language that suggests that their products …

A. are of especially high quality;

B. make us more attractive;

C. all the above;

8. The economic effect of advertising can be likened to …

A. a bullet in ice hockey;

B. referee’s final whistle in football;

C. the opening “break” shot in pool or billiards;

9. The moment a company begins to advertise, a … reaction of economic events takes place.

A. chain;

B. explosive;

C. irreversible;

10. To do its job, advertising must be …

A. readable;

B. understandable;

C. all the above;

c) Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the words in italics.

1. Changing minds in our overcommunicated society is an extremely difficult task. 2. The word “overcommunicated” uses 16 letters: A C C D E E I M M N O O R T U V. 3. Their ideas seem to be far more down-to-earth and sensible. 4. Gloria is probably the most down-to-earth person I’ve ever met. 5. The first true supermarket in the United States was opened by Michael J. Cullen, on August 4, 1930, inside a 6,000 square foot (560 m²) former garage in New York City. 6. Supermarkets have changed the look of our high streets, and as some argue, are causing the disappearance of small independent shops. 7. Goodwill was originally used to reflect the fact that an ongoing business had some “prudent value” beyond its assets, such as the reputation the firm enjoyed with its clients. 8. Goodwill can be negative. Negative goodwill is recognized as a liability. 9. House prices continued to rise throughout the 1980s. 10. As we have tried to show throughout this book, companies that provide outstanding service don’t do it by luck.

Task 8. In the text “Advertising” (Task 3) find antonyms of the following words.

1. rural; 2. illegible; 3. repulsive; 4. ugly; 5. informal; casual; 6. decreasingly; less; 7. incomprehensible; 8. undercommunicated; 9. colourless; neutral; dull; 10. impractical, unreasonable, unsensible.