What do you think about advertising?

What do you think about advertising?Read these notes carefully before discussing the questions that follow with a partner and then make notes about what you think afterwards.Against:•Advertising is a corrupting and manipulative influence on our lives. •It tells us that without certain products we are inadequate.•It tries to sell us lifestyles most people can never have. It makes us materialistic.•You don’t need advertising to sell products. The Fair Trade range, for example, has done well without it.•Adverts home in on our insecurities: about beauty, cleanliness, keeping up with fashion, keeping up with certain lifestyles, etc.•Adverts can make us wasteful and want to throw out perfectly good stuff.•The Advertising Standards Authority (UK) can only stop an advert going out; it can’t issue fines. By the time people complain, the damage has already been done.•Adverts for children’s products give rise to ‘pester power.’ Is this fair on parents?•The advertising of unhealthy food and certain alcoholic drinks has probably contributed to the rise in childhood obesity and excess drinking by teenagers.In defence:•Advertising is an essential part of a developed country’s economy, providing lots of jobs in advertising itself. It helps to sell lots of products, so creates manufacturing jobs too.•Without advertising, independent media would not exist. •We can always say no to advertising. We do not have to buy the product.•The product still has to be good if it is going to continue to sell. We might buy something once on the strength of an advert, but we won’t buy it twice if it’s no good.•Advertisers have to stick to strict rules laid down by the Advertising Standards Authority (UK), about being ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’.•Understanding how the media works is an essential part of modern life. Most children are more sophisticated and less gullible than many adults suppose.•Advertising makes food cheaper.•Adverts can be very creative, entertaining and memorable.•Some film directors and producers have started their careers in advertising.Points for discussion:•In the UK, the government has banned most forms of advertising for cigarettes, as they are detrimental to people’s health. Were they right to do this?•Should governments ban fast food advertising, as fast food is full of fat, salt and sugar?•How successfully could adverts be used to promote ‘good’ things like fresh fruit and vegetables for kids or teetotalism for teenagers?•Overall, does advertising have a positive or negative effect on our lives?Write your thoughts about advertising:The Key Features of Advertising: Back to that definition:‘Advertising is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.’Answer the following questions:What does ‘non-personal’ mean? Why this approach instead of ‘personal’?What does communication mean? By what means?How can advertising be persuasive (and biased?)? List below all the ways where/how things are advertised… Slogans & CopyWhilst a simple logo can make a brand, company or product immediately recognisable to customers, many people are also aware of slogans or taglines which again associate the company or product with an idea or quality. The UK advertising industry is controlled by a Code of Practice written by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), which states that all advertising must be: legal; honest; decent; truthful.Slogan TechniquesHere are the most common techniques used in advertising slogans:TechniqueReason used1A summary of what the brand stands forMakes the brand’s benefits and specialities clear2It is short/briefSimple, clear3RhymeSticks in the mind of the consumer4Mentions the brand’s nameSticks in the mind of the consumer5AlliterationSticks in the mind of the consumer6Second person: you/we/usThe consumer feels he/she is being spoken to personally and taken care of7Use of ‘every’/ ‘always’Indicates the company’s consistency and commitment8Present tenseSense of universality, timelessness9ImperativesAssertive commands designed to sweep the consumer along10Frequent use of capitalsFor emphasis11HumourConsumers are entertained, so tend to be well disposed towards the brand 12Use of puns/word playGives a second layer of meaning to impress the consumer with its smartness and noveltyProducts and their Slogans1.Match the products and slogans listed below to the ones in the Products and Slogans table – fill in the blanks. You may need to look them up!PRODUCTSKFCL’OREALM&MsHEINZNIKEBMWMCDONALDSAUDISLOGANSIt’s finger lickin’ goodMelts in your mouth, not in your handsJust do itVorsprung durch TechnikBecause I’m worth it.I’m lovin’ itBeanz Meanz…The ultimate driving machineProducts and Slogans tableSLOGANPRODUCTTECHNIQUE(S) (Use numbers from list)Once you have completed the table, for each row, identify the techniques that have been used using the list on page 8 – enter the numbers for the techniques being used in the third column. Can you also identify these companies or products?a)The World’s Local Bank – b)Once you pop, you can’t stop! – Can you come up with a few more slogans that are famous?  Further points to consider (write your answers beneath each one):Slogans are usually short (2–6 words long). One word cannot usually express the full meaning. Are there exceptions?Slogans usually come at the end of an advert. Why?A slogan is a kind of verbal logo. Which is your favourite slogan and why?Which slogan that you’ve looked at uses the most techniques? Is it the best?Advertisers often use adjectives to help sell a product, e.g. ‘big’, ‘great’, ‘fantastic’. The most popular adjective used in advertisements is ‘new’; if something is described as being ‘new’ then people are much more likely to be interested in it. Adjectives such as ‘wonderful’, ‘superb’, ‘great’, ‘revolutionary’, ‘innovative’ and ‘effective’ are also often used to promote a product.List 3 adjectives that you might find in an advertisement, other than those listed above:1.2.3.List 3 adjectives you would NOT find in an advertisement:1.2.3.Product/BrandUsually, an advertisement features the product/event/idea that it is trying to sell/promote. There may be models, celebrities or characters in the advertisement, associated or involved with the product so as to convey a story or an idealised end result.The product is usually the focus of the advertisement, but sometimes large copy (often the slogan or product name) can draw your eye first – this first attention grabbing feature is called the centre of visual interest (CVI). What is the CVI of the advertisements on the next pages and how do they try to advertise their products? GraphicsAdvertisements need to be eye-catching and memorable in order to have the greatest impact upon their audience. Often, bright colours are used and advertisements might have a ‘colour theme’ that links to the product or the company, or both. The use graphics: of colours, pictures and symbols is very important part of an advertisement. Target AudienceAdvertising doesn’t just ‘happen’, products are very carefully put together. The logo, the slogan, the copy (the writing), the use of graphics, all are carefully calculated to reflect the product and to make it appeal to its target audience. Companies think long and hard about who their product is aimed at, considering some of the following areas:a.Genderb.Agec.Dependentsd.Social Classe.Incomef.Educationg.Employmenth.Geographical locationi.Political affiliationj.Interests/hobbiesk.AspirationsOnce a profile has been established for the target audience, advertisers then plan an advertising campaign by considering where to publish the advertisement so as to have maximum exposure to their target audience.Advertising campaigns can take unusual approaches. Watch this public warning from Metro Trains in Australia called Dumb Ways to Die, which has had over 190 million YouTube views since it came out in 2012.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jwChoose one advertisement and have a go at trying to work out who the advertisers are targeting…PASTE YOUR ADVERT BELOW:Brief summary of advertisement:Gender AgeDependents (children, elderly, pets, SN)Social classIncomeEducationEmploymentGeographical locationPolitical affiliationInterests/hobbiesAspirationsCampaign locationsMotivation/Purpose/AimDon’t forget also, that all texts have a purpose behind them. Novels entertain, charity flyers might be persuasive, newspapers inform and instruction manuals advise. Advertising is, by nature persuasive, but it will also have a secondary aim or motivation: to get you to buy a productto make you go to a certain place at a certain timeto raise awareness of a cause or issueto raise the profile of a political candidate. Whenever you look at an advertisement, think carefully about what it is trying to get you to do.USPThe final key area to consider is the product/event/person’s Unique Selling Point (USP).For a product or event to be successful, the advertisement needs to make it clear how that product is different to all the others in the market, to make it clear to the consumer why they should pick that box of tissues over its competitor’s box.This is when careful copy writing comes into play, here are a few examples of clever adjectives :•‘new’ suggests that it is modern, perhaps with cutting edge technology;•‘advanced’ implies it is better than its rivals, an improvement on older products;•‘exclusive’ suggests its production is limited, so owning one makes it more special;•‘exquisite’ implies it is of a higher quality;•‘market leading’ suggests that most people choose it already so you should copy them;•‘alternative’ implies that it is doing something different and for a good reason.New products will always try to persuade consumers that they are better quality, better value, more luxurious or more powerful than their rivals.