Advertising

Vocabulary

1. Field (n)
/fiːld/:a particular area of work, study, or activity
Ex: The company is a pioneer in the field of medical technology

2. Consumer (n)
/kənˈsuːmər/:a person who buys goods and services; someone who uses something
Ex: Our business is targeting individual consumers.

3. Utmost (adj)
/ˈətˌmoʊst/:the highest degree of
Ex: During winter, the illumination and lighting festival create sceneries of utmost beauty.

4. Cornucopia (n)
/ kɔːrnjuˈkoʊpiə/: a lot of something good
Ex: This library offers a cornucopia of classic novels.

5. Flyer (n)
/ˈflaɪər/:a piece of paper that promotes a product
Ex: The owner of that new Italian restaurant has his employees hand out flyers with special offers.

6. Diversify (verb)
/ dɪˈvərsəˌfaɪ/:to include a larger variety of different types, things, etc.
Ex: They diversified their portfolio by investing in several financial products.

Reading

It is estimated that over $500 billion per year is spent on advertising worldwide. In the field of business, it is of utmost importance that the products or services a company is trying to sell are promoted to society. One form of marketing communication is advertising.

Advertising is the process of promoting a product and making it known to the public. The purpose is to attract customers and generate sales. There is a veritable cornucopia of ways in which one might advertise a product, and they all have the same objective – finding the most cost-efficient method to reach out to as many potential customers as possible.

One of the shrewdest ways to catch the attention of a large number of consumers is broadcast advertising on television and radio. Television is often regarded as the “king” of the advertising media, owing to the fact that it has been proven to influence human behavior time and time again.

Another method of advertising is using reading materials such as magazines, newspapers, posters, billboards, flyers, etc

In recent years, advertisers have shifted their focus towards the Internet. In contrast with radio, television, magazines and newspapers, the Internet is used not only for entertainment, but it serves a purpose in nearly every aspect of modern life, creating a myriad of opportunities for advertisers to insert targeted advertising messages.

Advertising may very well have diversified its methods, but well-nigh all of them seek to show and promote new products and services to the community.


1. How much is spent on advertising worldwide each year?

2. What is the purpose of advertising?

3. What have advertisers been focused on in recent years?

4. What is considered to be the "king" of advertising media?

Discussion

“Creative without strategy is called ‘art.' Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising.'” - Jef I. Richards 

1. Do you agree with this statement? Why?

2. Should advertisements that exhibit a high level of artistic creativity be regarded as art themselves?

Further Discussion

1. What types of advertising do you think are the most effective?

2. What product did you buy because of an advertisement?

3. Do you think that companies spend too much money on advertising? Why? Why not?

4. If every form of advertising were to be banned, how do you think people would decide which products to buy?

5. Which do you think is more important: the quality of the product, or the effectiveness of the advertisement? Why?